Ugh… I thought dating ********* would make my life so much happier. It is but… I didn't expect all these hurdles. None from him, however. My human boyfriend is just the best. Everyone else though… while it's not intentional… my anxiety is creeping back. Remember the diaphragm.
breathing. Tighten the muscles for a minute then relax and stretch.
First it was Jack with her comments about how I'm only one in a long line of women ********* has dated. Shepard and Garrus are the closest males to ********* and they both assure me that ********* truly like me. A small part of me was worried he only dated me like how an asari would stick it out with a partner out of pity or something until they die from natural causes, assumingly. But when we have time alone and we press pir faces together, if I am careful, I'm able to pull my head back within my mask and stare at him. ********* looks so peaceful and happy. Any doubts wash away.
I asked Kasumi if he was like this with her. She said "we didn't get that far. I wanted to but I physically couldn't. It's going to take me a long time to get over Kenji." She later commented how lucky I am to have ********* infatuated with me. He's super affectionate and loves anything involving touching, like a quarian man. Honestly it can be a little too much at times, but it makes him so happy I don't say anything.
My father, to no surprise, doesn't like *********. Besides destroying his work, my father preferred I bond with a quarian male. Out of all the races in this galaxy, he dislikes humans the least. My father is only concerned for my future, but he never listens to me.
"Tali, you won't be able to have a child with him." He reminded me.
"I told you this before, I do not want to have a kid." I firmly said.
"You'll change your mind. You'll understand one day."
I've had it.
"Father, why do you keep doing this?!"
"Doing what?"
"Ever since Mom died, nothing I do is never up to your standards. Whatever I do is not enough, and you demand better and better. I'm sick of it. I'm trying to scavenge what little happiness our kind is afforded. ********* makes me happy. It's fine if you don't like him, but don't you dare get between us."
"Daughter, I-"
"Stop calling me your daughter! You and Mom named me Tali. If I'm such a disappointment you don't want to call me by my name, I can ask Shepard to take you to the migrant fleet and leave you there." Oh ancestors I didn't mean for it to come out like that. I can't believe I said that.
"Dau- Tali… I have always been proud of you. Since the day you were born, you have been exceptional. You're mo. You're moth. You'remother would've been proud too."
"Then why do you keep undervaluing my work?"
"I'm so sorry if it came across that way. The truth is… you're an engineer. You make sure the ship can continue sailing the stars. Losing your mother nearly broke me. You were the only thing keeping me going. You are the only thing keeping me going. I can't lose you. I pushed you so hard to be the best because in my view, the better the work, the higher the chance my daughter will stay alive."
"You never told me this. Why didn't you?"
"I've been hanging on a thread all these years and I didn't want to lose you. When you joined Commander Shepard to go after Geth and Saren, I was horrified I would never see my daughter again. You returning to the fleet was the happiest day I've had since your mom died. I'm telling you this now because I'm afraid I'm going to lose you."
'Dad… you're not going to lose me."
"HOW DO I KNOW THAT! I'm sorry for yelling but you were almost killed by the geth again. You are working on a Cerberus ship, an organization that attacked the fleet. Now you're on a suicide mission to take down an alien race working for the reapers."
"Dad. Nothing bad is going to happen to me."
"How do you know that? Is ********* going to protect you?"
"Of course he will."
"If you die. Would he bring you back?"
…
"Tali?"
"He can't exactly do that. He's warned us multiple times if he tries, he has many more failures than successes. But I'm being very careful."
"I know I know. I just want to keep the promise I made to your mother."
"What promise?"
"Before she died, she made me promise I would do everything I could to protect you and made sure you have a good life. Does he really make you that happy?"
"It's a little soon to be thinking about that."
"If you two fit just right, it's never too soon. I asked your mother to be my bondmate not even a hundred days after we met."
"You're kidding."
"It's the truth. I was stupid, rash, and it was the second best thing I've done. The first is bringing you to this world."
I hug my father, sadness I've kept down for so long bubbles up to the surface. Oh, great now I'm going to have to wash the inside of my mask.
"Thank you dad. If you really want to make me happy, please be nicer to *********. He's the nicest gu- wait he hates being described like that. He's the best and had a really hard life. It would mean the fleet to me if you two could get along."
"I will. There is a problem. He really doesn't like me and I'm unsure if he'll give me a chance."
"I'll talk to him when I get the chance. Dad I have to go on a mission now. ********* wants to join us. Since there are no other sentients, he'll consider using his abilities to make the mission easier."
"Don't let it make you overconfident."
"Funny he says the same. I have to go. Goodbye Dad."
"Goodbye my Tali."
