AUTHOR'S NOTE: You can guess what happens here, but there's no smut in this chapter. Also, sorry it's short, but I hope it's sweet. School's been busy and I'm working on getting a job. Next chapter should have more content. Oh and if you're in my Discord server, I'll post a reference image for Tali. If you want to see, send me a message and I'll get you into the server. Hope you enjoy!

Commander John Shepard

On our way back to the Normandy I had given Wrex a call despite having just left him as I had forgotten to mention something to him. The Krogan statues we had found at Hock's vault, and that if he wants those returned, he should make the formal request to Anderson soon. Wrex figured that so long as the statues can remain intact somewhere in Urdnot that isn't a storage closet, it might build some trust for Urdnot with the Council, so he agreed. And as the shuttle came to a landing in the Normandy's shuttle bay, another thought came to mind.

Where the hell are we going to keep Urz? I know he can eat the same food Grunt will, meat, and I'll ask Mordin later if there's any limits as to what a Varren can safely eat, but then what about messes? We don't exactly have a backyard. I guess we can just fabricate some diapers for him. I'm sure that would be dangerous to work with at all. Maybe not…

Gardner is going to need a raise.

"Um… John? Is Urz going to be staying in your room?" Tali asked as everyone began to leave the shuttle. Some, like Miranda, Thane, Samara, Mordin, and Grunt were acting like he didn't exist, or just entirely unfazed. Jacob, Zaeed, and Garrus were enjoying the show. Jack was still knocked the fuck out from drinking Ryncol. And that's honestly unfortunate, and, I can't believe I'm saying this, she would actually be a good candidate I think to hold onto Urz overnight now. As subtle and small as the changes might be about her, I think an animal might do her some good.

"No, no, no," I stammered. This isn't the time or place to reveal to her the changes to my quarters. Changes that a Varren would further complicate. Maybe before we go to sleep. Zaeed should do for tonight. "Zaeed! Think you could take Urz for tonight? I want to try and have Jack take him when she's not slammed into next year."

"He's your-eh… right. Guess that would make shit difficult for ya," he answered, glancing at Tali as he cut himself off. "Alright, fine. He's glued to your hip though, so you gotta bring em to my room. And I'm not cleaning up after the fucker."

"Wasn't asking you to. Thanks." I turned back to Tali. "Why don't you head on up? I'll uh… I'll explain up there." Tali tilted her head curiously.

"Er, sure. Sure." With Urz, I followed Zaeed to his room. The Varren began looking and sniffing around, a passing interest in the old Blood Pack helmet trophy Zaeed had but turned back to me. I got down on a knee and scratched behind where his ear should be. Urz's mouth opened in his own quieter version of panting.

"Agh, bloody hell," Zaeed murmured, knowing he's gonna need to have Urz's attention long enough for me to leave. He started to pet and scratch at Urz as well and the Varren was allowing it, at least for now. Zaeed started to scratch around his belly, and that got Urz's attention, and fortunately, in a positive way. Urz got to the ground and onto his side. I took the opportunity to leave and made my way up to my quarters. Nothing wrong with the decon unit, Tali must be waiting inside the room itself. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door to my quarters, seeing Tali pacing, her mind no doubt running through a million and one possibilities as to what I have to explain. She stopped, hearing me enter, turning her focus to me.

"What do you have to explain, John?" she asked, hands wringing in front of her. I paused a moment, mouth open not quite sure how to explain, when a better idea came to mind.

"Might be better to show you," I answered, gesturing for her to come my way, back to the decon chamber, though she didn't know it by that name. She was clearly still confused, the blue light from the fish tank illuminating her slightly. The door closed behind her and I pulled up my Omni-tool so that the decon can finally start doing its thing. The cleaning chemicals began to spray as the decon field began to warm up, I knew that the same was happening in my quarters themselves. Tali stopped right in her tracks, freezing, save for when she stared at me, glowing eyes wide open.

"Surprise," I gave a shy grin.

"W-When did you do this?"

"Mordin helped me install it last time we were on the Citadel."

"Wait, that long ago? When you asked me to… move in with you? Why didn't you tell me?" Her surprise was obvious, but I wasn't sure if she was upset, I didn't tell her sooner or understanding.

"Well…" I chuckled, my nerves getting to me. "I was nervous. I was afraid that asking you to move in with me and then I just… immediately let you know afterwards that I have a decon unit would either make implications or expectations I didn't want to give. Honestly, I was hoping to wait until you were comfortable enough here suggest the next step yourself to reveal it was already here." Tali paused again.

"Why?"

"Because I refuse to let… this, us, go anything faster than your pace. And I know you read into things often. Like I said, I was afraid of you thinking that you had to do something instead of wanting to."

"John…" she smiled under her mask. I knew she was. I just knew. She immediately wrapped me in a hug, her head on my shoulder. The process finished, perhaps taking longer considering this is the first time it has run. Taking me by the hand she pulled me along into my room, running a scan with her Omni-tool.

"It's clean…" she murmured under her breath, then turned back to me. "John, it's actually clean," her tone was that of nervous excitement. And it was contagious. That all being said, I knew I was the only thing that didn't count as clean for her scanner in here. I probably never would, but I've been taking steps. Just in case, since I never really know when Tali might give me a reason to let this particular cat out of the bag, I've been using a special mouthwash and soaps every day. It'll never be perfect, but I can get as close as I can. Tali's eyes wandered across the room. I wonder what she was thinking, how differently she was perceiving the room now that it was a clean room. She sat down on my bed, looking down, thinking. I sat beside her, and a moment later, she turned to look at me again.

"I want-no. John," she took hold of my hand. "I need you to see me. And I need to see you without this damned visor. To feel your skin on mine." Ok… um, wow. John, remember to breathe. Breathing is an important thing to do, keep doing it.

"A-are you sure? You don't have to now if you're not ready."

"This may be… the most terrifying thing I've ever done in my life, but, yes, John. I'm sure. I've wanted to do this for so long. And to help with your concerns?" Tali took a deep breath. "The only thing keeping me from going… all the way, is that I haven't begun to take the medications I'll need for that." Well shit.

Right, breathing. I forgot there for a moment.

"Then will it be-be safe for you tonight?" Tali keyed her Omni-tool in response.

"I've just had my suit give the immunoboosters and antibiotics in case a shot pierces my suit. I'll still be a little sick, but nothing like Illium. So long as it doesn't stay off that long."

"Ok… Can I… take the visor off?" yeah that feels very awkward.

"I… might have hoped you'd ask," Tali managed a giggle. Tali helped guide my fingers to a release switch by her forehead and at the corners of the visor itself. The switches themselves were small, and designed so that it was impossible to open them on accident. There was a hiss of air as the seal was broken. I began to lift when she stopped me.

"Wait, not just the visor. The vocalizer was technically still active, but I could hear her without it now as well. Her voice was the same, just without the hint of synthetics. The mask loosely remained in place while she guided me to some similar latches at the base of her helmet. By the throat and back of her neck. They were identical to the ones used to release the visor, and it too came loose, but without the hiss, as the seal for the head was already broken. Tali pulled back her realk, and lowered her head to make taking if off easier. I noticed that the cables and pumps attached to the back were disconnecting automatically since the helmet was. Keeping my eyes on the mask itself for a moment I lifted it off, hearing Tali take a deep breath as I put the helmet down gently to my side opposite of Tali, and turned back to her.

Wow.

Her skin was a pale grey color. I wonder if the pale is more of a somewhat natural coloration for Quarians or the result of several generations being robbed of sunlight for their entire lives. Her lips were a darker coloration, maybe a mix between… a darker grey and purple? She managed a smile, her teeth a perfect white. Her canines were further apart than in humans, as if they traded places with the tooth behind them, and they were also a little longer than a human's, and they appeared to have a little bit of serration as well. The rest of the teeth I could see looked similar enough to humans. Her nose was the same button nose I've caught hints of through the visor before, no surprises with that. The eyes themselves were just barely noticeably larger than a Humans, while the iris was both a bright, glowing white and clearly larger than that of a human. Obviously, the source of the bioluminescence. In contrast, the sclera, like the pupils, were black. She had eyebrows, black in color but her hair itself was a silver white. Like the eyes, it also shined just slightly, though I figured that was more from reflecting light than any bioluminescence. It was short, very short. A result of her wearing her helmet all her life, but I remembered how she told me about her mother and their relationship, how she would help Tali care for her hair to keep it healthy, but still, the length didn't reach her shoulders, and at the front if barely covered any of her forehead. Finally, she also had a few freckle like features along her cheeks and forehead, but were longer and larger than freckles. There were only a few of them, but despite the semblance of a pattern to them, I highly doubt those aren't a natural feature.

I thought she looked ethereal. Simultaneously alien, but not.

"W-Well? What do you… think?" Gently, I raised my hand and cupped her cheek, rubbing under her eye with my thumb. She gasped as I touched her face, then hummed as I rubbed, smiling. Her skin felt, as cliché as it sounds, smooth as silk, and incredibly soft. It's like how you can tell if someone physically works hard by how rough the skin on their hands are, being worn down by physical labor and exposure. Obviously, her body has next to no exposure, and hard work wears on the suit instead of her.

"I think we'll need to do this more often." Tali raised her right hand and worked at the seals around her forearm, removing the 'glove.' Her hand was naturally the same color, the two fingers long and about the width of two human fingers stuck together, the thumb proportionate. I could see nails, but without any length past the finger, and they were far narrower. Pointed. When they get to grow, they can probably get rather sharp. Hesitantly, Tali mirrored me, putting her hand on my cheek and feeling me, my beard. She chuckled.

"It tickles." She then moved her hand back and to my own, taking hold of it, just like we have before. But this time without a suit separating our hands. Smiling, we stared into one another's eyes again. Maybe thirty seconds passed, I wasn't really keeping track.

Then she launched herself at me.