Tali and Shepard spend an afternoon exploring their penthouse. It's intended to lighten the mood before next chapter's steaminess.
This chapter is a bit sillier than the earlier ones but I had so much fun writing. I hope you enjoy reading it just as much.
Tali put on a pair of modified human pants under her robe. They only reached her knees, but Shepard insisted on it because wearing just the robe was distracting him too much, and they'd never make it off the couch otherwise.
They ordered room service, which came up in a sterilized 'tube' from a kitchen a few floors down. Like a mini elevator. Shepard made sure Tali ordered the best nutrient pastes. She protested, but didn't really have an argument as the hero of the galaxy was a very wealthy man.
Soon after selecting a few items on a hologram, a small hatch opened near the decontamination room and a tray slid out with their food.
Tali's head tilted to the side as she looked at the dish. "Why do they even have a kitchen up here if they can send food straight to you? Seems like such a waste of space."
"I suppose they leave it there in case you like to cook for yourself. I've been on military rations too long to learn that particular skill, though."
They went to the dining room, which was connected openly to the kitchen. The table was much too big for the two of them so they sat side by side at one end.
Tali picked something up from Shepard's plate.
"So this is... beg-in? Is that right?" The word didn't translate so Tali had to attempt to pronounce the English word. She held it gingerly between two fingers, turning it around.
"Bacon, and yes, it is," replied Shepard as he spread syrup over his quadruple stacked pancakes.
"Where does it come from?"
"Pigs. They look kind of like a varren, I guess. Fatter, shorter legs, and less fierce looking. I've actually never seen one in person, just pictures on the extranet."
"Pugs?" That didn't translate either.
Shepard's lips twitched. "Close enough." He grabbed Tali's wrist and took a bite out of the bacon strip. Crunchy.
Tali's eyes flashed wickedly as Shepard focused on his plate again, still munching on the bacon.
"So, where do these... pugs... come from?"
"Well, they raise them on farms. They're not really my area of expertise so I don't know much more than that."
"I've never seen a farm around Ilium. Maybe they use varren instead?"
The crunching stopped. Shepard's head was completely still as his eyes rolled to the side to look at the bacon in Tali's hand. She wiggled it ever so slightly. He swallowed loudly. Maybe I'll just stick with toast.
Tali tried really hard not to laugh at Shepard's face, but a snort escaped her.
He looked at her.
She burst out laughing, letting go of the bacon as she dropped her head onto the table.
"Wait... are you messing with me, Tali?"
She couldn't speak and she threw her head back as she continued to laugh.
"Think that's funny, do you?"
Shepard reached for Tali's sides and tickled her.
She gasped. "S-stop, I'm sorry!" Her chair screeched back as she tried to get away.
"I don't think you're sorry enough!" He laughed, not even able to pretend to be angry.
Tali clutched at his arms, but he slipped one hand away and snatched her nutrient paste from the table.
"Just for that, you don't get to eat."
The quarian reached for it. "You're a cruel husband. Give it back."
"Make me." He stretched his arm out behind him. Tali lunged at him, reaching for the tube at the same time Shepard leaned back on the two hind legs of the chair and was caught off balance when Tali landed on him.
Almost in slow motion the chair flipped backwards, Tali's arm stretched out towards the tube, Shepard in complete shock. The nutrient paste flew out of his hand as he grabbed Tali.
"Oof." They landed with a loud thump.
Laughter bubbled through them as Tali raised her head. "Shepard, you dropped my breakfast."
"Sorry, I'll get you another one."
She looked down at him, a smile flashing on her face. "Nah, I'll just eat you."
They laughed even as their lips met.
...
The weight room was a relatively small room compared to the others, containing basic equipment such as a chin up bar, bench press, treadmill, and more. All were designed to transform to be comfortable for different races. A large rack on the side held various weights for the equipment along with numerous dumbbells. There was one massive contraption in the corner that could only have been made for a krogan. Or maybe even an elcor. Evidence to prove this was seen on the weight rack where a few were way too big for any human.
A window completely covered one side of the room and most of the equipment was set up to face the view.
Everything here was completely foreign to Tali. It was difficult, if not impossible, to get fat on nutrient pastes, not that the Migrant Fleet ever had the resources for a quarian to try. Plus, there was always work to be done on the ships so setting aside a room specifically for exercising the body was a bit ridiculous to her.
Shepard seemed to like it, though.
"It's always good to stay in shape," he said matter-of-factly.
Tali thought of other ways they could stay in shape but bit back the reply.
"What's this, Shepard?"
"A bike, one that doesn't move," he said as he walked up beside her. "Here."
He adjusted the seat, then bent down to fix the pedals. It took him a while to figure out but eventually he was able to set them down and back a little. More so than a human would be comfortable with.
"Get on." Before Tali could say anything, Shepard picked her up by the waist and set her on the seat. They had to bunch up her robe to keep it out of the way.
"Um, I don't know what to do." Her hands were wrapped around Shepard's wrists when they returned to her waist.
"Just put your feet on the pedals. Don't worry about strapping them in. Put your hands on the handlebars here. Now all you have to do is push the pedals around in a circle."
Tali pressed down with one foot.
"Ah!"
She quickly raised her feet off the pedals as they whizzed around rapidly.
Shepard hid a smile. "I think we need to increase the resistance."
He tapped a few buttons on the console between the handlebars, struggling to figure out the logic behind the system.
Eventually Tali had to bat his clumsy hands away. "Just let me do it."
Even though she'd never used something like this before, her fingers quickly passed over the panel and brought up the screen to adjust what she wanted.
After a few attempts Tali was able to peddle normally on the bike.
"How's that?"
"It's a little better, I think."
"A little? It's on the hardest setting!"
"You underestimate us quarians, Shepard," Tali said smugly.
"Apparently so did whoever made this thing."
She continued to peddle, seeming to enjoy herself. Shepard smiled as he watched her, happy with whatever made her happy.
Then his eyes started to wander.
She was leaning forward to grab the handles, her head bent down, panting softly as she concentrated on the movement of her feet. Shepard could feel the gentle sway of her body as his hands remained on her waist.
His eyes followed the robe down her spine, hiding her back from him. He pretended to adjust his hold on her as he slid his hands down to her wide hips and managed to pull the cloth tight enough that he could make out the arch of her lower back as it curved to her butt.
"Shepard."
"Hu?"
"I know what you're doing."
He let go of her hips. "Er, maybe we should try something else out." Wow, it's hot in here.
Tali hopped off the bike and looked at him. Smirked when she saw that he was blushing.
"Now you have to try something so I can watch."
Shepard chuckled as he pulled his shirt off. "Ok, pick one."
Tali was silent as she looked at his chest.
"What? I don't want to get my shirt all sweaty."
"I'm not complaining, Shepard." In order to look away Tali had to turn her head enough that her eyes could no longer physically look in that direction.
"That one."
Ah. The bench press. More simple than I thought she'd choose.
"Alright. I'm not really sure what weight to use, though."
"I suggest something not too heavy."
That worried him.
He rummaged through the weight rack, tested a few by lifting the barbell while standing.
Finally he laid down on the bench and wrapped his hands around the bar. He glanced at Tali who had watched him quietly the whole time.
"You going to spot me?"
"...spot you?"
Shepard grinned. "Help keep the weight from falling on my face when I get tired."
"Oh..." A slow smile curved on her lips. "Sure, I'll... spot you."
"Uh, Tali. You have to stand on the other end."
She walked to the end where his feet were set on either side of the bench.
Shepard watched with wide eyes as she set a hand down on the bench right below where his legs connected to his pelvis. It was replaced with a knee as the hand moved up and placed itself on his stomach.
Slowly she crawled her way up Shepard's body. Then she stacked her hands between his pecs, letting her elbows droop down his sides, and placed her chin on top of her hands. Her waist rested just below his as she laid fully down on him.
"Okay, Shepard. I'm spotting you." Her glowing eyes fixed themselves on Shepard's face, who was already sweating.
"Tali, I don't want to drop the weight on you," Shepard said, trying to find an escape.
"I know that you won't."
Dangerous. Why did that turn him on?
He lifted the weight free. Tali rose slightly on his chest as he drew in a deep breath and brought the bar down to touch her back. He was acutely aware of her breasts pressing against him, even through her robe, as his diaphragm filled with air. He expelled it slowly and his arms stretched fully up.
One.
Tali tilted her head to one side to watch his arm muscles flex with the movement. Down, up.
Two.
Three.
She tilted her head down to his chest, his pecs rippling and bulging. When she felt the bar touch her back she lightly traced a finger around his nipple. Tali dropped sharply with Shepard's chest as he thrust the weight up.
Four.
Shepard was sweating hard. The weight of the bar suddenly felt heavier as Tali squirmed on top of him. His muscles were taut, making the pressure of her body more exquisite. Down, up.
Five.
"Tali." His voice was strained, as if he was lifting hundreds of pounds of weight.
"Hm?" She spread her hands over his pecs, feeling them move.
Six.
"Why does it..."
Seven.
"...feel like I'm..."
Eight.
"...doing this backwards?"
Nine.
It took Tali a second to catch onto the meaning behind his words. Then her whole body shook and she pressed a fist to her mouth.
"Oh God, don't do that." She was squirming against him.
Ten.
With a grunt he hefted the bar and set it back on the rack.
At the sound of the loud clank Tali could no longer hold it in and exploded with laughter.
Even as aroused as he was Shepard couldn't help but laugh with her. He wrapped his weary arms around her as their voices filled the room.
...
The pool was a long rectangle, going from one foot deep to ten. In a corner of the room was a hot tub big enough to fit six people comfortably, its jets silent. The couple walked around the edges of the pool, holding hands, looking down into the water. It was so clear you almost couldn't see it, rippling slightly from the filtering system in one corner. Tali dipped her toes into the water. Shepard said most humans really like pools. She could tell why as the cool liquid enveloped the two digits.
"I need to get a swimsuit," Shepard said, more to himself.
"They don't even make quarian swimsuits."
Shepard glanced at her. "Well... you probably don't need one anyway." He coughed lightly.
Tali scoffed at him, "Shepard, what makes you think I'm going to swim around naked for your viewing pleasure?"
"I'd do the same for you."
Tali paused as if to think about it for a moment. "That doesn't sound so bad."
Shepard chuckled. He left her staring at the water to move to the large open window looking out across the city of Nos Astra. Its numerous skyscrapers stretched high, brilliant lights shone from every direction.
"I can't swim anyway..." came a quiet voice behind him, like she was having a discussion with herself.
Shepard turned sharply. "You can't swim?" It seemed so obvious now. Another thing other races took for granted.
She shrugged, prepared to brush off his slip. She kept her back to him. "We could easily swim in our environmental suits, but our ships didn't have the resources to build a large enough pool for us to learn." Tali didn't see the boyish awe cross his face.
He hadn't really been listening to her explanation.
"You mean, I get to teach you to swim?"
Images of Shepard's arms around her while they floated in the water raced through her mind.
She glanced over her shoulder at him. Saw too late as he lunged at her.
Tali was suddenly swept off her feet.
"Ah!" Tali squealed.
"Let's start now," Shepard said eagerly.
"N-no, I'm not ready yet!"
"Oh, come-on. It's only five feet deep here." He started to swing her, as if preparing to toss her in the water.
"Shepard, don't you dare!"
He was laughing as he exaggerated the motion.
"What are you going to do about it?"
At the top of the swing, Tali used his neck as leverage to twist and throw herself gracefully out of his arms and land next to him. Surprised by the sudden escape, it was almost too easy for Tali to sweep Shepard's feet out from under him and shove him face first into the water.
Her victory was short-lived. Underestimating Shepard's reflexes and speed, he shot out of the pool before the initial waves had disappeared. A rush of water splashed over her and her arms were suddenly trapped at her sides. Shepard had one hand braced on the edge of the pool to push himself up while the other arm snaked around Tali's waist, pulling her against him. At the top of his lunge he said, "Hold your breath."
Tali's face made a perfect 'oh shit' expression before she sucked in air.
Shepard pulled her down with him as gravity overtook momentum, and they crashed together into the water.
They resurfaced with another chaotic splash and Tali immediately latched on to Shepard's neck, using his shoulders to hold herself above the water. Her robe was soaked and heavy.
"You b-bosh'tet." She was laughing.
Shepard joined her as he wiped water out of his eyes.
He opened his arms. "Come on, you're tall enough to stand here."
"I know..." she said as she tightened her hold and nuzzled her face against his neck.
He chuckled as he wrapped his arms back around her and hooked his chin over her shoulder.
...
They grabbed towels from the bathroom to dry off and went back to their bedroom for a change of clothes.
The whole bedroom was actually bigger than they both had realized at first, given that the lighting had been a little dim and... other things were on their minds.
To one side was a couch facing the wall. Puzzled, Shepard walked over and a hologram suddenly appeared on the couch's armrest. He hit a button, heard a soft rumbling, and the wall slid open, showing a window to the outside. It reminded him of the observation deck on the Normandy SR2.
It felt like they had been running around all day but there was still sufficient light outside to say evening had not arrived.
They'd unpacked earlier, Shepard having more stuff than Tali, though not by much, so the closet that was built into another section of the wall and the large dresser nearby were hardly filled.
Tali chose another pair of 'pants' and wrapped a blue robe around herself while Shepard got out another casual outfit.
With both of them dressed they looked towards the bed. Placed on the wall above was the white flower, set inside the case Mordin had made for it. The backboard of the case was a light purple and had small pincers that grabbed the flower's black stem but were almost unnoticeable, making it look as though the flower floated in mid air. The other sides of the case were a clear glass to protect it while making it visible. Hidden on the backside of the case was a tube that ran from top to bottom and was filled with a liquid that would occasionally mist against the flower to keep it alive. It would last a full year before the liquid needed to be refilled. In time for their anniversary. Shepard wondered if the salarian scientist had done that intentionally.
The mattress and the floor around it was a mess. The petals were showing signs of drying up. Tali suddenly had a very worrying thought.
"Shepard, does someone else come up here to clean the room?"
"Yeah. We can notify the staff when we leave and they'll send people to tidy it up."
"So... when they see the bed they'll..."
Shepard paused for a minute, choosing his words carefully.
"They'll know how much I love you?" saying it as more of a question. Is that what they'd think?
"That or they'll spread the news all over this hotel and neither of us will be able to walk around without people staring."
Shepard laughed. "Okay, we can clean it up ourselves. I saw a washer and dryer around here for the blankets. I'll see about getting some bags for the petals."
Shepard left the room and Tali started gathering up the pieces of her suit and placing it neatly inside a dresser drawer. She ran the white and gold cloth she'd worn for their wedding through her fingers. She sighed, about to fold it and put it in the drawer when Shepard's hand rested on hers.
"You want to hang it in the closet? It's very pretty and I'd like it if we could keep it for as long as possible."
Tali's brilliant smile showed how much his words meant to her. "Yes, I'd like that, too."
They managed to find a hanger in the closet that would work. Tali insisted they do the same for Shepard's tuxedo. They stared at their wedding clothes, resting side by side.
Eventually they decided to return to the matter at hand.
"That little elevator thing doesn't just bring up food," Shepard said as he returned to where he'd dropped the garbage bags.
Shepard got up on the bed to bring the wreaths down. Tali was kneeling on the floor, scooping petals into one of the bags, when a soft whack hit her on top of the head.
"Hey!" She said, putting a hand on the back of her head as she looked up and saw a wreath dangling above.
"Sorry." Shepard tried to duck his head away, but Tali saw the smirk on his face.
Two can play at this game.
"Hey, Shepard," she said, reaching her hands under the bed to scoop up a big gob of petals. "I think one of the buttons of your tuxedo fell off. I see it down here, but I can't reach it."
Playing along, Shepard knelt on the bed and bent over the side, looking underneath it while hanging upside down. "Where?"
Tali swooped the petals at Shepard, bringing her hands all the way to his face to hold them there.
He jerked away, spitting as if some got in his mouth. He rolled across the bed and landed on the opposite side. He hunched down, back against the bed and started gathering up petals.
I've heard of snowball fights and pillow fights, but a... petal fight?
"Do they train Spectres to fight with petals, Shepard?" He could tell from her panting that she was also preparing her ammunition.
"We're trained to adapt to any situation. You won't win this!"
At the same time they both shot up from the sides of the bed and launched waves of petals at each other. Most didn't make it fully across, but their attacks were so frenzied that they didn't take notice, simply snatched up the petals they were throwing at each other and fired it back.
They were panting heavily with laughter by the time they ducked back down behind cover.
Both were tense as they tried to calm their breathing, waiting for the other to act first. Unfortunately for Shepard, Tali had been saving up a secret attack.
"Go for the optics, Chiktikka! Go for the optics!"
Shepard's breath caught. What?
He stood up quickly, one hand raised, "Wait Tali, what are you-?"
She was ready for him. Seizing her garbage bag full of petals she whirled it up and across the bed in an arch, sending a huge shower of petals all over Shepard.
Shepard made an agonized cry of pain as he spun dramatically and fell face down onto the bed.
Tali jumped on him, grabbing his wrists and pinning them down above his head.
"I win!"
Shepard rose suddenly, pulling down with his arms that Tali still gripped tightly. With a roll of his shoulders she was tossed over his head, landing on her back.
He attempted to pin her down in the same way but she fought back until they were at the edge of the bed and both slipped off together, falling in a pile of quarian and human limbs.
They laughed until it hurt.
...
It took them a while to finally clean up their mess, but it didn't bother either of them. Spending time together was a gift in and of itself.
With the bed fixed up and pillows added, the two decided to go to the final room they hadn't checked out yet.
The bar was probably the biggest room and the shelves were completely empty of drinks. The floor was mostly a hard surface but a large space of one corner was carpeted and fully outfitted with elegant furniture. The far side of the room lead out to a balcony that was fully enclosed in a glass-like case.
A note on the bar's counter read:
For your safety and the safety of others, the beverages have been removed to reduce the risk of consuming drinks not intended for your species. If you require this area to be stocked, please contact the front desk and a licensed bartender will occupy the bar and supply it with whatever you desire.
Thank you,
Hotel Manager
"Usually leaving a note like that means something bad happened in the past," observed Shepard.
"I hope it wasn't too serious. Some drinks can be very dangerous."
Tali ran her hand along the smooth black surface of the counter while Shepard walked around.
"Big place," Shepard said absently. "Must be where you can throw parties and such."
"We should do that sometime, Shepard! We could invite the old team up!"
He smiled at her enthusiasm. "Good idea. Maybe later this week we can set something up."
Tali thought happily about that. While she could be alone with Shepard for the rest of her life, the Normandy crew had grown very close as they fought the Reapers. Such friends were something she treasured.
A sudden, very loud, sound screeched throughout the room.
Tali winced as she spun around, going for the pistol that wasn't at her hip.
It ended abruptly.
"Keelah, what was that?"
Shepard was standing at the middle of the wall opposite the bar, looking at a hologram.
"Sorry. Must be surround sound. I'll turn it down." He punched a few buttons and the music came back on. It was quieter but not very soothing.
Tali came over to look. She tried a few different selections until she settled on one that was slow and peaceful.
"They have settings for atmosphere? What does that mean?" Shepard asked, looking over her shoulder.
She pressed a button and the lighting of the room dimmed considerably. A click sounded behind them. Turning around, they watched as a small section in the center of the ceiling opened and a disco-like ball lowered out. As it spun slowly around its axis, it lit the room with hundreds of white spots of light.
Tali turned to Shepard, who was watching her. The light moved gently across his face, eyes twinkling as he stared back.
"Hey, beautiful."
Tali smiled at him. Without a word, she grabbed his hand and pulled him to the center of the room. Shepard had shown her a human version of a slow-dance that she liked very much. She set her left hand on his right shoulder while Shepard's right hand went to her hip. He cradled her free hand out to the side.
They stared at each other, rocking gently from side to side.
Then Tali rested her head on Shepard's left shoulder and his hand went to the small of her back to pull her closer.
"I love you, John."
"I love you, too."
They stayed like this, moving slowly together, until Tali's arms were wrapped around Shepard's neck and his arms were around her back, head resting on hers.
They held each other close, hardly moving now.
The song ended and neither let go.
Eventually Tali felt limp in his arms.
"Tired?"
"A little," she mumbled.
"Here, let's sit out on the balcony and watch the sunset."
They parted just enough to walk but not let go. They sat down on a small couch, Tali cuddling against Shepard's side. Purple and white lights of the city backed by the brilliant shine of the distant star cast a dreamlike aura around them.
"Can it be like this forever?" Tali asked, not caring that she sounded like a child.
He rubbed her arm as he replied, "Yes. Yes it can."
With a contented sigh, Tali snuggled closer and closed her glowing eyes as the sun disappeared over the horizon.
"You're so good for me, Shepard."
Shepard looked down at Tali, remembering the events of the first day they'd spent together as husband and wife.
"I was just thinking the same thing."
They'd acted like kids the whole day, breaking free of the haunting memories of the Reaper war. No one understood the value of love more than they did. Both had fought tooth and nail for every precious moment of their lives so the entire universe could have theirs. It felt good, so good now that they could hold each other close without the fear of death sweeping them apart.
And he was going to love every second of it.
His eyelids drooped, thinking that when he woke, he'd carry Tali back to their bedroom and make love to her again.
But, just before he dozed off, his omni-tool beeped.
Grumbling quietly, he automatically tried to lift his hand to answer the message but found his arm was trapped by a sleeping Tali.
Carefully, he moved his left arm across her to his other hand. With his hands close together, he activated the device and brought up the message.
Tali mumbled something, waking slightly as the orange glow touched her eyelids.
"Sorry," Shepard said softly. He looked over her to read the message.
"It's fine," she sighed as she wrapped both arms around the arm reaching across her and hugged it against her like a pillow, making it awkward for Shepard to see his omni-tool. He didn't mind.
"What does it say?" asked Tali, voice muffled against his arm.
"I guess the hotel got a package from someone named Loyalty." Loyalty was the code name that only members of the Normandy knew to use so if they decided to send something to each other they could be sure that whatever was received was genuine.
Shepard immediately accepted. "They'll send it up through the tube. Want to go look?"
"Sure." Even after saying that it was difficult for Tali to pry herself away from Shepard. They resigned to holding hands as they returned to the entrance room. The package was already sitting out on the tray, although it wasn't wrapped. On one side of the tray, lined in a diagonal fashion, were three sealed tubes, similar to Tali's nutrient pastes, but designed to hold liquids. Resting on the other side was a wine bottle, slightly shorter and fatter than a traditional human wine bottle. Inside was a pure blue liquid.
At the base of the drinks was a note.
A note that read simply: 'To relieve stress'
Did I mention steaminess next chapter?