Work Text:
Tali checked the time on her omnitool, arching her back in a stretch to loosen up the kinks that had settled in from hours of pouring over her console. Even though she was technically on shore leave, she'd still been working all day, in an effort to get the engines back up to speed. Adams, Donnelly, and Daniels were good at what they did, but she knew the Normandy's drive core inside out, and they sometimes missed the little details that she could see. It gave her plenty to do, perhaps a little too much, if skipping shore leave to do some tinkering was any indication.
She popped the joints in her wrists, which were stiff from all the typing she'd been doing, and then the ones in her neck, sighing in pleasure as the tension fell out of them. She powered down her console and brought up her omnitool interface again, tapping the message icon and frowning as it took longer than expected; she'd have to mod it to work faster again, the darned thing.
Her inbox was flooded with messages from members of the flotilla (most of it was fan mail, which was partly amusing and partly humbling) and from those aboard the Normandy. She scanned quickly for a message from Shepard, and found none.
Well, he had been busy doing errands today, so she didn't blame him all that much. He was as bad as she was when it came to concentrating only at the task at hand, and anyway, she'd have her time with him tonight. She skimmed through messages from Kaidan and Liara, welcoming her aboard, and giggled at one Javik had sent her, seemingly by accident, grumbling about how primitive their communication systems were.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing of the intercom above her, making her jump.
"Tali, you there?" Garrus' voice filtered through the speaker, slightly distorted.
"Garrus! Yes, how are you?" She hadn't had many opportunities to speak with her old friend since coming aboard, and she had missed his company over the past few months.
"Oh, not too bad, you?"
"I'm fine," she replied, looking up, though she knew he wouldn't be able to see her. "Did you need me for something?"
"Nah, just wanted to know what you're still doing on the ship. Shore leave applies to quarians too, if I remember correctly," he said, a teasing lilt in his voice that made her smile despite herself.
"I was convinced it applied to turians too, though I guess I was wrong about that. Too busy calibrating, hmm?" she giggled as he groaned over the intercom.
"We'd be lucky to hit anything with these guns if it wasn't for me, you know."
"Sure, sure. I'm starting to believe Kelly when she said you'd been calibrating your own gun in there all the time."
"Wouldn't you like to know?" he replied, not missing a beat. She spluttered slightly, then managed to gain back her composure.
"That's not what I meant! And no I dont want to know Bosh’tet”
"Mmmmm... if you say so..."
"You are insufferable, Vakarian." His pleased laugh echoed through the drive core room, and she shook her head. Garrus would never change, but that was one of the things she liked about him. He was a constant, always consistent and loyal, while everything else changed. She knew Shepard felt the same way; it was probably the reason their friendship was so strong.
"But listen," he started, bringing her attention back to him. "Shepard's gone to see the asari councillor today, he won't be back anytime soon”
“I know, he messaged me”, she thought. He’d still be available for tonight.
“-and I think we both need a break from watching screens", he continued.
"Oh? You have something in mind”, ‘I could kill time with a friend, and get some liquid confidence to seduce Shepard!’
"Always, Tali. You still owe me drinks for beating you in that kill competition back on Aite, remember?"
"That was months ago!"
"And you never paid up because your boyfriend got himself thrown in the brig”, she cringed at how he said boyfriend.
"That wasn't Shepard's fault," she grumbled.
"I know, I'm only teasing. But really, put work aside for a night."
"I don't know..." she mumbled, twitching the corner of her mouth downwards.
"Come on," he drawled, a hint of challenge in his voice. "It'll be fun."
She sighed. She would never admit it to him, but there was something about that persuasive voice of his, something that she was sure most of the other women on the ship found as attractive as she did. Though she much preferred Shepard’s, especially when he called her, ‘Miss vas Normandy’.
She giggled at the memory of the two Navy women who overheard her and Shepard’s conversation, who were shocked at learning of their relationship. She remembered shivering at his touch, and how much she felt his attraction to her when he rolled her nickname off his long thick tongue. She quickly realized she needed to respond.
"Fine," she said, doing her best to sound reluctant. "Give me an hour to finish things up." Maybe I could buy time until Shepard finishes. Then he could finish inside her. She giggled again. She heard the intercom turn off.
She messaged Shepard telling him she and Garrus were going to some club and she looked forward to tonight. Both messaging hearts and ‘I love you’ to each other.
----
Tali squinted as bright lights bombarded her faceplate. Clubs weren't really her thing, as she much preferred the quieter, peaceful areas of the Citadel. She felt pretty overstimulated. Quarians had delicate eyesight, but Garrus seemed completely in his element. He'd worked in C-Sec though, she reminded herself. He'd probably be comfortable on any part of the station.
She took his lead as they wove their way through the crowds to the bar, where they managed to snag a couple of seats near the end. The place was packed, though Tali wasn't surprised; people needed some way to forget that there was a war going on, after all. Thankfully the lights were a little less flashy in this corner of Purgatory, so she felt more at ease as she settled into her chair beside Garrus.
He signaled over the asari bartender who gave them a warm smile and took their orders. She ordered filtered brandy for herself, and he had a whiskey. Interesting, she thought. She never figured him for a whiskey kind of person.
The asari left two glasses in front of them momentarily, a straw floating in hers. She'd probably get a cold for drinking in this unsanitized place, but she would live through it.
"A straw?" Garrus asked, slightly incredulous, as he gestured toward the blue one in her glass.
"I'm not putting it through my emergency induction port!," she replied with a scoff, lining up the straw with her breathing slot and taking a sip. Tali couldn’t tell her it was damaged after she gave Shepard some oral attention. She resisted the urge to grimace at the awful taste. She didn't much like alcohol, but she'd be damned if she gave Garrus the opportunity to make fun of her for getting something a little more pleasant.
She should have known though that he'd catch her little shudder. "Too strong for you?" he asked with a laugh.
"It's fine ."
"Let me guess, you're a lightweight too."
She huffed in reply, refusing to acknowledge the truth in his comment.
"You bosh'tet. Don't you have anything better to do than tease me all the time?"
"Of course not," he replied lightly, shooting her a grin. "It's too easy."
"I could say the same about you, Vakarian," she countered.
"Oh, you don't know that." He looked straight at her then, and she was slightly struck at how blue his eyes were. She'd never really seen them this up close before, and after a moment of staring she blinked and looked away. She liked Shepard’s brown eyes more.
They reminded her of Rannoch. Garrus was busy ‘calibrating’ during that like he was during her trial. She remembered how little she actually knew about him. He was handsome and charming but also he scared her sometimes. Like with his obsession of Sidonis and revenge. Despite Shepard trying to save the traitor, Garrus killed him.
Garrus let out a laugh and she turned away, feeling her skin crawl at being caught staring, but apparently that wasn't what he found so amusing. "So you do want to know? Shepard won't like this."
She let out an half-mock, half-indignant huff, then turned to glare at him, but he was looking out over the crowd again.
"Keelah, you are impossible . I don't know why Shepard keeps you around."
His head turned quickly to look at her, an unreadable emotion in his eyes, but that flickered out within a second as his face softened into an amused expression.
"Your drink's finished."
She looked down into her glass, and sure enough, it was. He wasn't even half done his, and she felt slightly embarrassed for drinking so fast. Garrus didn’t seem to take notice of it though as he waved the bartender over, ordering her another drink.
"Thanks," she said, taking another sip. It was burning less now, though she presumed it had something to do with the buzzing feeling in her head. She needed to get a hold of herself, last thing she needed was to get completely drunk with Garrus. He’d never let her live it down.
"Not a problem. So, about Shepard..."
"What about him?"
He shot her a sidelong glance, mandibles spread in a grin. "How do you two make it work, anyway?"
She took another sip, trying to think clearly despite the growing fuzziness in her head. "Why?"
"Oh, just curious. Never tried the interspecies dating thing myself." This caught her by surprise. She'd always assumed Garrus was a little... adventurous in his endeavours.
"Not even asari?" she asked.
He shook his head and quirked a mandible. "Not my type."
"Well, what is your type?" A strange look came over his face, but before she could blink it was gone.
"That would be telling." She laughed and shook her head. He drained his glass, but didn't order another one, instead focusing his full attention on her. "So, Miss Vas Normandy, I believe I asked you a question."
She cringed, she didn’t like it. Shepard purred her favorite nickname. He’d loved his body, in some pose usually showing off his big strong arms. She wished Shepard was here.
"Let's not talk about that," she mumbled, looking away from him. The intensity of his gaze was a little too much for her. She was nearing the bottom of her glass for the second time; she really needed to get a hold of herself.
"I won't tell anyone, I promise." He did that grin again. It was less charming with the more predatory look in his eye.
"We're... careful," she said almost inaudibly.
He leaned closer to her. "What? I didn't get that."
"I said we're careful." He was close enough that had she not had her suit on, she'd be able to feel the heat radiating off of him. It felt uncomfortable, she became suspicious.
She pushed that thought out of her mind quickly though. What the hell was she thinking? She wasn't supposed suspicious to Garrus, of all people; he was both her and Shepard's best friend, after all.
"Hmm," he hummed, then looked down at her glass again. "Done again?" he said with a laugh. "Let's get you another one."
"Garrus, I don't think that's -"
He waver her objection away. "You'll be fine." He signaled for another drink, and the asari slid a filled tumbler over to him. He gave her a nod and exchanged the new glass for the one still in Tali's hands.
"You're going to be the death of me," she muttered, but hesitated to take a slow sip. She couldn't help but feel the burn of it going down her throat now, she pushed the glass away.
"No, I'm going to be the one who hauls your drunk ass out of here," he said with a laugh. His eyes met hers again, with an intensity in them that overwhelmed her, he felt creepy. "So Shepard's the only one, hmm?"
"I - well, yes..." He raised his eyeplates at her.
"No turians? I'm surprised."
She choked on her drink, but his gaze didn't falter. He pressed a hand against her arm in a gesture of support, then retreated it when she could breathe properly again.
“I don't know maybe because all the Turians have been pretty rude to me," she said, trying and failing to keep an even tone. Garrus can’t seem to read her that well, she was growing increasingly agitated.
"Hmm." He tilted his head. "You're missing out." She blinked again, trying to find some semblance of rationality in her now thoroughly-tipsy brain to form a reply. Of course, she failed miserably, and chose instead to not reply. Instead she let the anger fill up.
"There are a few ways that turians are more pleasing than humans," murmured Garrus, his voice softly caressing her shaky nerves. "Or so I've heard.”
"...Huh," she mumbled, a more coherent response eluding her. ‘You don’t even have lips instead you have plates, you have Talons. She hated how he mocked humans. He was yet another bigoted Turian with a superiority complex.
Always needing Shepard’s help, his best friend who he mocked based on his species and insulted by flirting with her. She wasn’t a whore, a lying vermin suit rat who would betray the man she loved.
He hummed lightly. The sound was rather... alluring. She didn’t care, he knew how to use it to his advantage though. "We like to give, more than receive." His voice was low in her ears, which sent a shiver down her spine. Not in the way he anticipated. ‘He abandoned his family when his mother was dying to be a failed vigilante. He took and took rather than give anything’. Her thoughts were venomous.
She had no words; her mind was an utter blank. She fidgeted, wringing her hands that were shaking with rage. He was a piece of trash. ‘Give more than receive? Did he think that would work? Shepard gave the Galaxy everything he had and was constantly abused, and betrayed by bastards like him.
"You look lovely when you're embarrassed, you know," he said softly, and her eyes went wide as she met his gaze again. The look he was giving her made her want to kill him. He placed a hand on her knee, and she had to make a conscious effort to keep from grabbing her combat knife and killing him.
He held her gaze for a while, as his face relaxed into an expression that was unreadable or so he thought. The intensity of it made her want to look away, but she couldn't make herself do it. The tips of his fingers skirted back and forth on her kneecap, making her blink. ‘The audacity of this Bosh’tet!’
"Am I making you nervous?" he asked gently, though without any hint of self-awareness. If anything, he sounded slightly smug and sure of himself.
"No," she mumbled, though it wasn't entirely honest.
"Good," he purred, "because I don't think I could pull away from you if I tried." He looked down to where her mouth was; this close up he would be to make out the outline of her lips under the mask, which is where his eyes lingered now, then went back up to look into her own. He wanted her, she realize ‘oh Keelah’, he wanted her.
She found herself leaning forward, grabbing her drink. She needed him to say it. "Why's that?" she managed to say.
One of his mandibles quirked into a crooked smile. "Well, you are quite the woman Tali." His hand trailed up her thigh, stopping halfway up. "Feel like staying?” She could feel the heat of his body now, impossibly close to her. "There's a nice hotel close to here."
She threw her drink in his face, “YOU MISERABLE PATHETIC FAILURE DISGRACEFUL BOSH’TET!!!” She screamed, the music stopped and the lights became normal. Everyone was staring.
“YOU ARE TRYING TO SLEEP WITH YOUR BEST FRIENDS GIRLFRIEND! YOU BROUGHT ME TO A CLUB WHERE YOU HAD EVERY ADVANTAGE OVER ME AND TRIED TO GET ME DRUNK!??!?”
She smashed the glass in his face and kicked him from his seat, he was shaking. The predator gaze he had earlier was now like a prey full of fear. “YOU ARE A FAILED DETECTIVE! A FAILED VIGILANTE! A FAILD SQUAD LEADER! YOU RAN OUT ON YOUR DYING MOTHER AND ABANDONED YOUR FAMILY!!! SHEPARD SAVED YOUR STUPID LIFE AND YOU TRY TO BETRAY HIM???”
She stomped on his face causing him to scream. He tried crawling as he was kicked by powerful legs. Blood dripping from his mouth. Tali continued her rant. “YOU WANNA GET ME DRUNK AND OVERSTIMULATED SO YOU CAN WHAT? RAPE ME IN A HOTEL???” She kicked and kicked. “THATS CALLED RAPE!”
“Please stop! Help me! She’s crazy! Please”, he begged. Even his fellow male Turians looked at him with disgust. Liar, deceitful, traitor. He was called in his native tongue.
“IM TELLING SHEPARD! Good thing my suit has cameras and audio recording. Tonight I’m going to fuck him and you can fuck off to that hotel!” She stormed out after kicking a mandible and permanently tearing it. It was the one on his good side too.