Hmmh...and another short one.
Sorry about writing these, but there is just so much you can do...
Also sorry about the grammar errors, damn I hate them.
Please report all of them you can find, and I will see them ejected...
Calibration was pretty boring. All the person in charge had to do, was to observe the VI making the calculations, and if it made a mistake, reboot the program.
Problem was, it took hours, and the job required concentrating the whole time. Concentration one could not have with someone barging into the room all the time.
Garrus turned around to face the intruder.
"Hawthorne! For the last time, I do--"
His sentence was interrupted, when he realized who had came in.
"Tali!", he greeted.
It was surprising, but not unexpected
He immediately realized what she was there for, and shut down the calibrations, hours of work vanishing into the air.
She looked at him and tilted her head, eyes narrowing.
"You just lost all that work"
"Oh. Well yeah, but I, uh, figured that you're here for something important...", Garrus stammered.
She kept staring at him.
Had he been expecting her?
"So...you,uh, need me for something?"
This was not going well, and she wouldn't believe this farce for long.
"Yes", she said, still staring at him suspiciously.
She pointed towards the bench at the side of the room and they both sat down.
"It's...", she began.
...about Shepard. He already knew where this was headed, and was trying to figure out how to act as surprised as he could.
"...about Shepard", she finished.
"Oh!", Garrus gasped, clearly exaggerating.
That was just bad.
She glanced at him, her eyes very narrow.
He had been expecting her!
"Were you expecting me?".
Her voice was strict.
"No! I ju--", Garrus tried to stammer, but Tali interrupted him.
"Garrus", she said coldly.
He lowered his head in defeat.
"Yes"
She was so wrapped up in wondering if he had, that she had not even thought up why.
Shepard. He had not been surprised at her mentioning him.
"Have you..."
Don't ask.
"...talked with Shepard?"
Oh hell.
Garrus sighed deeply.
"Yeah", he muttered.
"Y-you have? W-what did he say?"
"A lot actually"
She did not know what Shepard had said, but it obviously had something to do with her, since Garrus had been expecting her.
But Garrus seemed to avoid the subject...
"Like what?"
Garrus sighed again.
He really didn't want to be the third wheel of this one.
"Well, most of it was about you"
She had known it.
But what had he said?
She needed to know.
Stop avoiding the questions!
"Well?", she asked strictly, her eyes narrowing again.
Garrus was about to start speaking, when he suddenly realized, that Shepard had not actually said anything. Not about what he was going to do, nor about how he felt.
"Well...", he started, trying to find something soothing to say.
"...he did tell me about the two of you talking."
His demeanour lightened up "Well, yelling mostly, but you get the picture"
"Garrus", she snapped,
"Sorry", he answered quietly.
Sudden realization went through her.
Had Shepard told him about her wanting to...be intimate with him?
She blushed at the thought, desperately trying to change the subject.
"D-did he...say a-anything about...the last time we, uh, spoke?"
Oh thank the spirits!
Garrus had feared, that he would have to rehearse everything he had heard of their, uh, sex life. Or the lack of it.
"Yeah, he did actually", he answered, perhaps a little too eagerly. Fortunately, Tali didn't notice.
He lowered his head.
"It didn't sound like it ended too good"
Tali's head lowered also.
"You are right about that", she answered quietly.
"Tali...", he began.
"I really don't want to be dragged into this", he raised his hands, glancing at her.
The turian sighed.
"So how about you just work your problems out?"
"It's not that easy", she answered quietly.
"Well it's not that hard either", he retorted, shrugging.
He started glance around the room aimlessly, his brow wrinkled.
"You both are making more of this than it is", Garrus muttered.
What did he just said?
"More than it is?", Tali snapped, her voice angry.
"How can you say that?! You don't know..."
She felt tears on her face again.
"You don't know how much it hurt", she said, with a quiet, broken voice.
Garrus lowered his head.
He really had not wanted to hurt her and should just learn to keep his mouth shut.
Garrus only wanted to help his friends, but did not really know how.
That did not stop him from trying.
"No, I don't", he said quietly "But I know he didn't mean it"
There was a short pause, then she merely nodded in response.
They stood up, and suddenly Tali hugged Garrus, who gasped quietly in surprise. Unsure of what to do, he clumsily patted her on the back.
She pulled herself away from him, but still held his hands.
She smiled, the first time in many days.
"Thank you, Garrus", she said softly.
"Any time", he answered quietly.
She let go, and Garrus' mandibles started to flicker.
"Well, not too often, because your pick-up lines are pretty horrible"
"Y-you didn't!", she gasped, her face now burning. She slapped him on the shoulder.
"Dashing Commander?", he asked teasingly.
His mandibles flickered very fast.
She wanted the floor to swallow her, but slowly a slight smirk formed on her face. She was not going to remain silent.
She crossed her arms.
"Remember the time when I told the idiotic volus about his air filters?", now she asked teasingly, eyes narrow.
He recalled the moment shortly, and chuckled.
"Gotcha..."