Shepard, Feral and Liara were making their way to the council chambers. Feral wasn't wearing his recon hood as he had hoped, after the Flux incident and the human ambassador's threats he'd hoped to remain incognito. Shepard told him it wasn't worth it, they'd just make him reveal himself and then he'd be accused of concealing his identity. Shepard had considered the two possible causes of the councils request to see him. It was either about what they had discovered on Virmire, Sovereign and Ilos, or it was about the super soldier. He really hoped it was the latter, it meant they could be chasing after Saren as soon as possible.
They were in the elevator on the ride up to the council chambers and weirdly Feral seemed incredibly calm. He was standing in the elevator quietly and humming to himself, Shepard couldn't help it.
"Ok who are you and what have you done with Feral?" He smirked over his shoulder at the man.
"Hmm? I don't know what you're talking about….." he looked confused, his vision changing from Shepard and Liara as they both looked at him strangely
"What the commander means is, you're in an elevator and you're humming while standing perfectly still" Liara finished for Shepard.
Feral's eyes went wide briefly "OH! right of course Ahhhh!" his fake groan vibrating through the box before he threw his head into the side of the elevator "Ow! Fuck…." and left a small dent in the metal wall before clutching his head. Shepard and Liara just winced before laughing at the man as he held his head.
"Ok ok I get it you're definitely Feral" Shepard just laughed as Feral continued to groan in pain, Liara biting her lip to stop herself laughing while he was in pain.
Eventually the group stepped out of the elevator, Feral still holding his head while his headache subsided. Growling at his two companions as they couldn't help but laugh some more. It didn't take long for the group to reach the stairs leading up to the council. Captain Anderson was already there waiting for them.
"Shepard, I'm glad you came as fast as you could. The council have made a decision concerning Saren" he looked happy, clearly whatever Udina had told him had been very good news. He rolled his eyes slightly when Feral sighed in relief.
"Oh good I don't have to meet the council" he beamed happily, stepping off to the side to sit down on one of the benches.
Anderson just looked at Shepard "Was that who I think it was?" he was looking over at the man who had walked off and was now twiddling his fingers on one of the benches in the chambers.
Shepard sighed and smiled slightly "Yes captain that's him. A super soldier in the flesh"
Anderson was confused, he'd seen the images taken from Flux. He'd even gone to see the damage and he'd seen all of the blood "Shepard, the Flux bomb happened just over 2 days ago. I know you said he heals fast but….he looks healthier than you"
Shepard looked back at Feral briefly before turning back to the flummoxed captain "It took him a night to heal from the explosion, he was up and fighting again the very next morning. Captain he even survived a gunshot to the head….he's…very tenacious" The commander just chuckled at that.
Anderson shook his head slightly "I just…..that's incredible. Either way that can wait, the council will see you now. If you want Ms T'soni can accompany you, I'm sure her expertise will come in handy." He gestured towards the stairs where Shepard could see Udina was waiting. He and Liara quickly stepped up the stairs and out of sight of the Captain.
Anderson just looked over to Feral, who had put one leg over the other and was staring up at the ceiling….or sleeping he couldn't quite tell which. He slowly started to move towards the bench he was sitting on and when he got close the sitting man instantly looked straight at him.
"You….must be Captain David Anderson…right?" Feral smiled as he pointed a finger straight at Anderson.
"Shepard tell you about me?" Anderson looked questioningly at Feral, he wondered how much Shepard had to tell him to win back his trust after the identity situation.
Feral laughed "No, I knew who you were the moment I heard your name. My special ops Captain used to talk about how you were a shining example of an Alliance marine." He wiggled his head slightly at that.
Anderson chuckled at that "Fair enough then, mind if I sit?" he gestured to the bench Feral was perched on, and the red eyed man simply nodded and shifted over slightly so Anderson had room to sit.
"So…you didn't come over here just to sit down did you?" Feral looked back up at the ceiling
Anderson just rested his elbows on his knees as he sat forward "How do you know? I'm not as young as I once was" he smirked slightly before he looked back at Feral who just laughed in response
"Oh please you're not that old Anderson" he was smiling at that joke "Besides, if you were I would've heard creaking in your joints. So…I'll ask again, what brings you over here?"
"Would you believe that it was just to talk to you?" Anderson just simply said
Feral sighed and leant forward as well, matching the Captains position "I'd believe it, but whether I want to talk about it is something else entirely" his manner became serious and his eyes glared slightly at the captain
Anderson raised his hands defensively "Don't worry I'm not going to ask about your previous identity, I've learnt that lesson" he sighed in relief when Feral became less tense "I was just wondering, of all the things you could've done once freed and you chose to join Shepard. My only question is why?"
Feral just sat there for a moment, it was more or less the one question he hadn't been asked yet. "I guess if you look at it like that, it does seem…odd." He cocked his head as he thought "I suppose you could say after 4 years of nothing but experiments I just wanted something…..familiar. I was a marine, a new mission was as familiar to me as possible and then….Shepard's team is like no other I've ever seen" he grinned at that "How could I possibly resist all that fun?"
Anderson just stared as the super soldier grinned, he noted how his red eyes were vibrating along with the sharp canines shining in his smile. "It certainly is an usual group, but you are all getting the job done. Hopefully now you won't have to do it alone"
Feral's shoulders shook as he kept his laugh quiet "I doubt it Anderson but…even if they don't help us we can do it. Shepard is the best leader I've ever had and our team is strong. Saren doesn't stand a chance" the material of his gloves stretching slightly as he clenched his fists.
The Captain just smiled at the man's determination. He was sure it was a feeling shared by the entirety of the Normandy, especially after Chief Williams' death on Virmire. "I have no doubt that you can all do it. Although when you do complete this mission, I was just curious. What then?"
Feral just looked across at the elder man "I'm not re-joining the Alliance Captain, sorry that's not up for discussion…however there is something that maybe you could help me with" again the grin adorned his face. Captain Anderson just wondered what the super soldier could possibly have in mind.
Shepard was walking down the steps from the council. 'Those idiots!' he was screaming out loud within the confines of his head. He couldn't believe what they had decided. Saren was no longer a threat, the reapers were a lie in order to get the Geth to follow him and Ilos was beyond the Mu Relay and therefore any sort of mobilisation could trigger a war with the Terminus Systems. All they were going to do is put more fleets around every mass relay in citadel space.
After everything he had discovered, all the evidence he had to prove the vision he had seen from the Prothean devices. The Conduit, whatever it was Saren wanted it but the council had decided it wasn't worth the investigation. Saren was a threat to them all and with Sovereign he was even more dangerous, why couldn't they see that? Shepard was seething from the meeting, he couldn't believe they weren't going to do anything, and to top it all off the Normandy had been put on lock down to prevent the commander chasing Saren down anyway.
Shepard wasn't out for the count yet though, first and foremost he had two of the best computer and hacking experts in the universe on his ship. The lockdown wouldn't hold them down, no matter what the council had said. Saren had to be stopped and he couldn't be allowed to find the conduit on Ilos.
The commander and Liara were both walking down towards Feral and Anderson, who had stood up as the pair had walked away from the meeting. Feral had already guessed his mood from the look on both of their faces.
"That bad?" he asked, his voice sounded annoyed
"We've been shut out. They're not sending fleets to Ilos and we're locked in the Citadel." Shepard just growled angrily through his teeth
Feral and Anderson just looked up at the council and then back to Shepard. "What?" they both asked simultaneously.
"We're stuck on the citadel. The council isn't going to do anything to stop Saren and Sovereign other than increase fleet presence around council space mass relays" Liara stated, she sounded a little calmer but it was only for Shepard's sake.
Feral sighed and looked down at the floor "Great….so now what do we do?"
Shepard stepped in closer to the two men, whispering so no one could over hear his words "Ok listen up. Anderson if you can I'd like you to try and figure out ways to beat this lockdown. Feral, we are going to go back to the Normandy. I want you and Tali to try and crack it open from the ship itself, I know it's a long shot but if anyone can do it you two can."
Feral just listened before nodding "And if we can't hopefully the Captain can come up with an alternative…..ok sounds like a plan for now. But if anything right now we need to move as fast as we can"
Shepard nodded and starting walking towards the elevator, Anderson would wait for Udina and then head back to the embassy. They didn't want to raise any more suspicion than necessary. Feral and Liara just followed after him as quickly as they could. Feral was keeping quiet, trying to figure out what sort of codes they'd use and how he'd break them. But he knew it was pointless, there was nothing he could do until he saw the coding itself.
The team stepped back into the elevator and Feral sat back on one of the rails on the side, and again just started humming softly to himself. Shepard and Liara once again were surprised by Feral's new found fondness of the devices.
"Ok seriously Feral, what happened to make you this relaxed in an elevator?" Shepard and Liara sat back on the rail on the other side of the box.
Feral sighed and scratched the back of his neck gingerly "Something good" he smiled gently and a kind look shone in his eyes.
Shepard couldn't help smile back at his friends happiness "Tali?" he raised an eyebrow at the now blushing man.
Feral just coughed and looked off to the side trying his best to avoid answering the question, glaring slightly at the man and the asari as they chuckled at his embarrassment.
Feral grinned playfully "So what about you two? I'm guessing it's going well because you're scent is on each other" he slowly stuck his tongue as the two both stared at him in shock.
Liara was the first to burst out "What are you talking about? John and I haven't done anything like that yet! We've only just kissed if you must know!" she shouted at Feral and to her surprise his smile just got bigger.
Shepard just put his palm into his head and sighed "Liara…..he was lying."
Liara just looked at the commander "….what?"
"He was baiting you Liara, I made him promise never to use his senses to spy on our relationship" Shepard calmly stated as Feral just kept grinning, before he started to laugh.
"So….he didn't know anything until I just told him?" Liara was blushing at the fact she'd been so easily played "I'm so sorry John"
Shepard just put his arm up and around her shoulder and pulled her into him "Don't be, Feral won't tell anyone besides we could probably really annoy him by getting all close right now" his sentence was responded by Liara blushing even more and Feral groaning
"Ok ok! I'll hit my head against the wall! Just for the love of god keep it in your own damn room" He turned away from the two and looked towards the door, smirking and then laughing as the two just cuddled in the corner before finally splitting apart when they reached the bottom of the tower.
- The Normandy –
Joker turned around as soon as Shepard returned into the Normandy "Commander we have a problem we've been –"he was cut off by Shepard
"We know Joker we're on it, Liara go and get Tali. Feral take one of the consoles" Shepard just ordered and Joker watched Liara run down towards the CIC and Feral quickly sat down in one of the empty co-pilot seats.
Feral immediately started typing away at the consoles, trying to find the code that had the Normandy locked in dock. Joker sat back down into his seat and sighed
"Well there goes my dramatic speech for when you guys got back" he just sighed and sank into his seat slightly
Feral laughed as he watched Joker look defused from his periphery "Yeah well Shepard has a habit of doing that doesn't he?" Joker was about to reply before Feral just shushed him "That was rhetorical and I'm busy" He went back to working through the citadel's systems, lines of code and computer programming flying across the screen in front of him.
Shepard just smiled as he watched Feral shut Joker up, apparently the pilot had no interest in trying to fight against the man. Especially seeing as Feral could break his bones by pinching him. It was about 5 minutes before he turned around, hearing a pair of footsteps behind him. Liara was bringing Tali up to speed and the moment they stepped into the cockpit she went straight into the other co-pilot seat.
Shepard smiled as the two of them instantly started co-ordinating their efforts, he couldn't believe how fast they could work with each other…not that he could understand a word of what they were saying. It was a small chance that this would work, but if any pair of technicians in the universe could do it, it'd be these two. They practically knew what each other was thinking and anticipating the other almost perfectly. Shepard smiled as he remembered what had happened in the elevator, he was happy for the both of them.
They kept working for about 10 minutes but eventually Feral just sat back and sighed, looking over at Tali who just nodded at him. "Well there's good news and there is bad news. The good news is we can crack the code, the bad news is it'll take us a few days." He rubbed the side of his nose as he stared at the screen.
Shepard sighed "Will I understand a word of the reason why?"
Feral bit his lip before he turned onto his side into the seat "On a really basic level, it's just that we're not smart enough. The algorithms used are heavily mathematically based and it'd require a super computer or an AI to crack it, and even then it'd probably take a few hours. Tali and I are clever…but we're not super computers."
"So we have to see if Anderson comes up with an idea don't we?" Shepard stated, he wasn't going to lose hope. They still had an option and Anderson wasn't one to let him down, not that Feral and Tali had let him down at all. If it couldn't be done it couldn't be done.
"Pretty much Shepard, I mean we can keep looking for a loop hole in the meantime but….don't expect anything" Feral spun back around in his seat, gesturing for Tali to come and join him at his screen. Two screens wouldn't do any good at this point and the woman happily obliged, standing behind him and putting her forearms on his shoulder and the chin of her helmet on his head.
"Ok then, you two have fun. Joker call me if Anderson makes contact with us" Joker nodded back as Shepard and Liara both started walking back towards the mess hall. Liara just stood behind him as he took off his armour, putting the pieces in his personal locker. As he put the last piece away he stared at the N7 on the chest, pushing into his locker and pulling it shut. Staring at the wall before he just punched the metal locker.
Groaning as he realised that despite how soft Feral could make it look, the metal that built the lockers was in fact…well…metal. He gripped his hand before leaning back against the lockers. Looking up only as Liara came over and took his hand gently, working her fingers between his knuckles in an effort to ease the pain.
He smiled gently at the blue woman as he watched her fingers gently push into his skin. "Thanks Liara" she just smiled back as she held his hand between hers.
"Anything for you John" she smiled happily as she watched him slowly relax, the pain in his hand slowly ebbing away. "You know there was nothing else you could do with the council, you've done so much and now you have your friends doing everything they can to help you again"
Shepard sighed "But what if we can't figure it out? What if we fail?"
Liara responded by taking her hands and cupping his cheeks gently "If you think like that then we've already lost. We will beat Saren and make him pay for all he has done"
Shepard smiled at that, the feeling of Liara's hands on his skin and the sight of her beautiful eyes. He just wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her in closer "So you are prescribing positive thinking doctor?" smirking playfully
Liara just smiled back as she slid her arms around his neck "You know I'm not that kind of Doctor John but yes, positive thinking would definitely help"
Their breathing started to match as they lent in slowly before suddenly moving away as Joker's voice filled the room "Commander, Anderson has contacted us. He wants to meet you in Flux" the two just sighed as they listened to the news.
Shepard then glared upwards as he realised something "Joker….have you been spying on us?"
"Uh no, I just guessed you'd be in the mess hall" came the slightly shaky response
"He was Shepard, we tried to stop him but he overpowered me" Feral's voice came through the intercom in the background before a slap and a bosh'tet was heard as well.
"Joker was but we weren't Shepard" Tali added quickly
The commander sighed, hopefully he had just heard what they had said instead of seeing it. "I'll be up in a minute, Feral and Tali can you be ready to come along as well? Whatever Anderson's plan is we may need tech experts." He slowly turned around to start putting his armour back on before Liara gave him a peck on the cheek and walked off into her office, smiling happily to herself.
"Aye aye Shepard, we'll be up here waiting for you when you're ready" Feral responded before the line went quiet permanently
- Citadel outside Flux –
Feral groaned as they walked up to the club "Do I really have to go back in there?" he was wincing slightly as he remembered how much it had hurt to be blown up after being poisoned
"That is why you are wearing your recon hood Feral" Tali just poked at the side of his head for effect
Feral just shrugged "Right, just…..if I see a drink coming anywhere near me I'm running away" the group was taking the steps up to the club and honestly Feral was surprised when he walked in. Everything was back exactly the way it had been already, he expected it to have taken longer.
"Ok….how did they fix this place so damn fast?" Feral was looking around, down to the sides where he had lain and there was nothing that made it seem like a bomb had gone off recently.
"Keepers" Shepard just said and pointed to one of the green insectoid aliens wondering around the club "You'd be amazed what they can do" he and Tali were scanning the club until eventually they spotted him sitting at one of the tables. Shepard strode towards him as fast as they could, if he had a solution they couldn't afford to wait.
"Shepard, Tali'Zorah, Feral; please take a seat" The three just sat down and Anderson sighed "I'm sorry to hear plan A didn't work but I have an idea for you and it should work."
The squad instantly perked up at that, should was good. Should was very good. "All right then, let's hear them" Shepard said, glad the music in the club was so loud. It meant listening in would be very difficult without being completely obvious to Feral.
"I did some digging. Turns out the controls that keep the docking bay locked are somewhere in C-Sec, I can sneak or muscle my way into the control room and unlock the Normandy from there." Anderson laid it out for them
Feral was the first to speak up "Uh….not that I don't appreciate that idea but breaking into C-Sec doesn't seem exactly subtle….what if you get caught before you can unlock the docks?"
Shepard agreed with the comment and shook his head "He's right Anderson, it's too risky. I'm sorry I can't let you go ahead with it" Anderson's face confused him slightly, the man was still smiling
"I hoped you'd say that because there is a better option anyway" Shepard just raised an eyebrow at the Captain, he'd only talked to Feral for about 5 or 10 minutes…what could Feral have done to Anderson in that time?
Feral couldn't help but pop a grin at that statement "Ok we'll bite, what is it?"
"Udina is responsible for the lockdown, the computer in his office has the major control in it. I can go to his office and hack his computer and cancel the order. It'll be an instantaneous release on the lock and you can get out of here before he realises what I've done." Anderson smiled as everyone seemed a lot happier with the plan
"And if Udina is already in his office when you arrive? Or if he comes back when you're in the middle of it?" Tali asked, she had seen Udina and he didn't strike her as a forgiving man.
"Don't worry about that, I can come up with something" Anderson rubbed his knuckles gently as he smiled at the group
Feral just laughed even louder "Yh well I heard what he tried to do after the Flux incident, so if he does show up…come up with something for me too" his grin was obvious behind his recon hood and Tali kicked his leg gently under the table. Even she wanted to punch the bosh'tet of a human as well but she pretended to keep the moral high ground, silently scolding her boyfriend under the table.
Shepard rolled his eyes slightly at the two's behaviour before he finally spoke up "Ok then, that plan is good. We're ready to go the moment you are Anderson, just give us the word and we'll run back to the Normandy" all three of them got as serious as they could again.
"I'm ready as well, I'll stay here for another 10 minutes before I make my way to the presidium and the embassies. That should give you about 25 minutes before the lockdown is released, I suggest you hurry so you can get your crew ready" Anderson stated, sitting back in his char "Don't worry I'll be fine, Udina isn't that strong and stopping Saren is more important. Just make sure you stop the SOB"
Shepard nodded and stood up, followed quickly by Feral and Tali. "Good luck Anderson" Shepard said as he started to walk away. Tali followed him but Feral lit up his omni-tool.
"I don't know how good you are at hacking but take this, it's a small program that can be used to bypass just about anything. It'll get you through his system that much faster" Feral watched as the captain's omni-tool lit up as well.
"Thank you, I'll be sure to put it to good use. Stay safe son" Anderson just nodded at Feral, who gave a polite but lazy two fingered salute back before running after Tali and Shepard.
People on the citadel just watched as the group of two humans and a quarian sprinted their way through the wards towards C-Sec. It must have been a record time for the group for making it from Flux to the Normandy; the longest part had been the elevator ride. This time Tali had to ask, she'd noticed that on the way down Feral had been quiet on both trips.
"Feral are you ok?" She whispered quietly into Feral's ear "You've been quiet in the elevator twice now" she was slightly worried at the loss of his head beating, the last time it had happened he almost lost control of himself.
Feral didn't even respond he just leaned forward and rubbed his hooded head gently into her visor before leaning back and standing straight again
"Oh…..oh well ok then" Tali blushed gently at his silent reply, squirming happily as she saw the effect their relationship was having on him.
As soon as the elevator opened again, the three sprinted straight into the Normandy and waited. Time would tell as Joker pulled up the panel that showed their docking privileges. As soon as it turned green all systems would be go. The commander told Feral and Tali to head to the engine room, they needed to be as ready as possible the moment they were clear. As soon as it turned green, Saren was going down.
- Ambassador Udina's office –
Anderson was moving as quickly as he could, by now Shepard would be back on the Normandy and his entire team would be ready. Waiting for the opportunity to leave and chase down that rogue bastard. He stepped up to the asari at the reception.
"Excuse me, you don't know if Ambassador Udina is in his office do you?" he quietly asked remaining as calm as he could.
The asari hit a few buttons "Yes he is, would you like me to let him know you're on your way?" the woman smiled gently up at the Captain.
"No that's ok, I'm not going to be there for very long. No need to disturb him" Anderson just smiled back as he walked off towards the human embassy. 'Damn, I was hoping he'd be out…..Oh well it's a good thing I never let my right hook weaken' he smiled slightly at that before regaining his composure.
The door to Udina's office opened and he quickly stepped into the room, Udina was at his desk and he looked up as Anderson stormed towards him "Anderson? What are you doing here I didn't send for yo-"
Anderson stopped him mid-sentence as his fist connected cleanly with the side of the politicians head. Knocking him out cold instantly and he just watched as he slumped over onto his desk before typing at the terminal. Luckily he wouldn't need Feral's decryption programme as the ambassador had already unlocked it to work. Anderson quickly ran through all of the systems before finally finding the right one.
"There….god speed Shepard." He smiled as he ran out of the embassy, figuring it would be best to be elsewhere when the politician regained consciousness.
- SSV Normandy –
Shepard and Joker were still in the cockpit, waiting for the light to turn green until finally a beep was heard and the colour changed. The Normandy rumbling slightly as the docking arms were released from the wings of the vessel.
"Now Joker! Get us out of here!" Shepard shouted as he turned around, Joker just got straight to work and before anyone in the citadel had any idea what was going on. Joker had piloted his baby out of the docks and they were heading out of Council Space. He could fly a decent way and then turn on the stealth systems, that way they could make their way to the Mu Relay in peace.
It would be a few hours before they'd hit the Mu Relay, and once the excitement of escaping the citadel had passed Shepard ordered that his team were to rest up. He'd need them to be at 100% for the mission with Saren. Kaidan and Garrus were back in their sleeping pods and the majority of the crew where either in the mess hall or in the cargo bay. Feral and Tali had been given the engine room to sleep in until the time came and Wrex was in the med bay.
Shepard was sitting in his office when he heard a knock on his door "Come in" he turned and stood up when he saw Liara enter his room. "Liara what can-" he was cut off as the Asari wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips firmly into his.
She broke the kiss briefly "John, If anyone can beat Saren it's you and this team but….just in case" this time Shepard cut her off and the two stumbled back towards the bed.
- Normandy's Engine room –
Feral and Tali were both lying on their respective cots, they were still pushed together in the middle of the room and they were facing each other. Feral's armour was laid out against the side of the room and he was sleeping in his t-shirt and military trousers. Feral was fast asleep but Tali couldn't sleep. She was just lying on her cot, watching how peaceful Feral looked.
Smiling gently as she watched the man's chest rise and fall slowly, she was still amazed at how quickly he could fall asleep. With one hand under her head, letting her rest on her arm as well as the small pillows Shepard still had yet to recollect. Her free hand was gently tracing along the lines of his hand, wishing that she could actually feel his skin against hers. For now this would be good enough but she couldn't wait for the day that her immune system would be able to cope with him.
She sighed at that thought, her smile dropping slightly as she remembered that once this mission was over. She'd be heading back to the migrant fleet and Feral…..she had no idea what Feral would do. He'd told her not to worry but she couldn't help it, she couldn't think of any possible way they'd be able to stay together unless she abandoned the quarian fleet….but she couldn't, she never would and she knew Feral would never let her.
Instead Tali just remembered Feral as he always was, the laugh and the smile of the man she cared so much about. She rolled her hand so her palm was facing up and then slide her fingers between his, gently holding his hand as she shut her eyes. Tali tried to use the knowledge Feral was right there beside her, his warmth radiating out from him as they laid so close. She was just about to fall asleep when she heard shuffling.
Her eyes opened again and she saw Feral was squirming slightly in his sleep, his face contorting slightly as he slept. He was having a nightmare…but he'd only had a nightmare the first time they'd slept unless…he wasn't making that much noise. What if Tali just hadn't heard him all of those times? She slowly sat up and cautiously put her hand on his shoulder, she knew he didn't have his knife with him so there was no danger of that.
"Feral….Feral it's just a bad dream" she gently shook him, whispering as she pushed herself onto her knees. "Please Feral it's just me, you're only having a bad dream" she pushed a little hard and this time it worked. Feral woke up and started panting slightly, looking up at Tali as she knelt over him.
His red eyes were open wide as his pupils shifted to the sudden change in light, his breathing still heavy as he rolled onto his back. Tali just sat back onto her knees and watched as Feral recomposed himself.
"Thank you Tali….." lying back completely as he rubbed his hands down his face slowly "Like you said….only a bad dream" his breathing was slowly coming under control.
"You should've told me you were still having nightmares" Tali said sadly "I could've helped you again if you had just told me and you know I would've gladly he-"
Feral had just put his finger over her mouth piece "Or…..you would've worried and then you'd start talking in really long sentences slowly getting faster and faster and more and more worried because that's what you do" he copied her teasingly, smiling gently up at the worried woman. "Tali I didn't want you to worry, I wasn't lashing out and I wasn't letting them get to me." His finger moved and he cupped her cheek gently "I'm sorry I woke you though"
Tali smiled at his response "Bosh'tet, you still could've told me…and you didn't wake me Feral. I couldn't sleep anyway" squirming slightly as she held Feral's hand to her cheek.
This time it was Feral's turn to look worried "Are you ok?" he sat up slowly, his free arm behind him as he propped himself up "Is there anything you'd like to talk about?" pushing his forehead into her visor gently, nuzzling into her helmet and smiling when she nuzzled back.
"No…I was just watching you sleep" Tali purred gently as all her worries evaporated at Feral's touch, a toothless smile adorning her face as they huddled up.
"Well then if just watching didn't help you sleep" Feral gave a toothy grin as he laid back down and patted his chest "You're head right here" his arm nearest to Tali staying in the air as he held open the blanket.
Tali just blushed and stammered slightly "Y-you want me to sleep on you?" she pointed at herself and then Feral who just laughed and nodded back at the woman. "Ok" she purred slightly as she shifted onto Feral's cot.
She laid her head down on the upper part of his chest, her head fitting snuggly into the crook of his neck. She didn't lie directly on top of him but draped herself over Feral's side, one of her arms and legs placed over his. Feral put one of his arms down along her back squeezing her to him as tightly as possible, covering them both in the blanket before intertwining the fingers that lay on his chest with his own.
Tali sighed happily as she felt Feral's chest pushing her up and down in time with his breathing, cuddling into him as much as she could before she heard him speak softly.
"How's this? Do you think you can sleep now?" he gently purred as he laid back, the light woman fitting snuggly into him.
Tali just squeezed him even tighter before responding in a purr "Oh…definitely" she sighed again as she heard Feral snicker quietly "Goodnight Feral"
"Goodnight Tali, sleep well" he sighed as he closed his eyes, the idea of even having a nightmare when his girlfriend was stupid 'I know I will' he silently thought as he fell asleep with a smile on his face. The only sound he could hear over the humming of the Normandy's engine was the slow, steady heartbeat of the happy quarian lying with him.
The Mu Relay was getting over closer, Ilos and Saren would be within their reach soon and the war would be over in the next few hours. But at this moment in time a pair of couples on the Normandy, while they were in various states of clothing, which were cuddled up together as tightly as possible. Until the Mu Relay was within reach nothing else in the universe mattered.