Gonna post this ridiculous scene from my long wip fic. Pre-Tali/Shepard/Garrus set in ME1.
Tali placed a hand on Shepard’s chest to comfort her and she felt Shepard still as Garrus coughed. She realized that this was probably not a gesture that Humans and Quarians shared but was distracted by a fast thumping beneath her fingers.
“Shepard, what is that?”
“Her chest,” Garrus deadpanned and Shepard snorted. Tali shakes her head in response.
“No, there is a beat there.”
“Oh, that’s my heart,” Shepard said softly and Tali felt her eyes go wide.
“You can just feel it?”
“Do Quarians not feel their heart beats?”
“We have some plating. Mostly along our spine, head, and chest so you can’t feel anything like a heartbeat,” Tali said, unable to move her hand away as she marveled at how Shepard’s heart could be so unprotected. “You can’t feel anything like this through our suits anyway.”
“Oh,” Shepard said, her eyes darted towards Garrus. “I guess it’s the same for you, Garrus?”
“Uh, yeah,” Garrus said, his mandibles twitching as he rubbed his neck. “There is really only one place to get an accurate pulse on a Turian.”
“Where?” Shepard asked and Tali looked up.
Garrus’s mandibles fluttered as he hovered his hand over Shepard’s. When she nodded, he gently grabbed her hand and lifted it to his face. He flared out his right mandible and guided her hand to point on his jaw. Shepard let out a breath as they settled on a point.
“It’s slower than I would have thought,” Shepard said and Tali felt Shepard’s heart beat a little faster.
“Humans do have faster heart beats,” Garrus replied and Shepard hummed.
“I suppose I should show you where those points are on me,” Shepard said, deftly switching their positions so she was holding his hand instead, moving them away from his jaw to settle on her leg. Her other hand guided him to a point on her wrist.
“How did humans make it this far? So many weak points,” Garrus said with a tilt of his head as he felt her pulse and Shepard smiled.
“We’re very stubborn,” she said before turning that smile to Tali. “Do you want to feel my heart beat somewhere else, Tali?”
Tali nodded as her neck flushed. As Shepard guided her hand, Tali thought that they were supposed to be comforting her not... whatever this was. Tali tried not to think about how nice Shepard’s hand felt on hers as Shepard moved her fingers to a point on her neck.
“I can feel the beating here too,” Tali said and Shepard smiled back at her.
“Okay, what the shit is going on here?”
The three of them pulled their hands away from each other as Joker stood there with a dumbfounded look at his face.
“I was showing them where you can feel for a pulse on a human,” Shepard said and Tali found herself nodding even as embarrassment set in. Garrus didn’t look much better as he was pointedly avoiding eye contact with anyone.
Guess I'll indulge myself now and posts a little something that has been lying in my notes for ages. Don't know if there are many F!Shepard/Tali fans out there, but if at least one of them reads it, this will not have been for nothing.
Timeline is the period between ME2/ME3 when Shepard is in incarceration. Written from the perspective of James Vega bc why not. ‘Three stolen days on the Citadel’ refer to another part of the fic that I may or may not post here in the future.
"I've got a letter for you."
"You're shitting me. Someone decided to write?"
Shepard's snark was not unexpected, but the cold acceptance in her voice was suddenly too much to handle. She must be thinking that everyone has forgotten, of course. Vega now found himself wishing he could tell her that there are dozens of letters waiting: letters from Tuchanka and Palaven, from friends on the Citadel and as far as Omega, that even half a year later they still don't stop coming. Not that he could tell her, of course: he was specifically placed next Shepard for his supposed effectiveness and lack of emotional attachment.
Normally, he wouldn't dare.
The letters usually came through a variety of extranet addresses Shepard has picked up along the years — the knowledge of some was common, others were more sophisticated, but nothing was out of the ordinary. Until a couple of days ago when a sealed paper letter reached the doors of the Alliance HQ.
Well, that was just crossing the line. He couldn't remember the last time he saw a paper later, wasn't even sure he ever did. There isn't any paper in their modern digitalised world — they have datapads and emails for that sort of thing, right? Not to mention the transfer would cost and the number of hands this letter had to change — the back of the envelope featured the name of a Migrant Fleet ship Neema and the sender. Tali'Zorah vas Neema nar Raaya. He heard many rumours about the commander's private life and was inclined to believe all of them... But a quarian? Nah. No way. The letter in has hand proved him wrong, though. Not like it mattered.
"Yeah. Here."
He extended his hand to pass the envelope to Shepard. She looked at him and disbelief and took the later into her hands.
"What's that?"
Shepard has always been hesitant to show emotion, Vega didn't know if she could, really. But right now her voice, if not her face, was itching with surprise.
"A letter from some quarian with your name on it. Figured you should see it."
Shepard was fiddling with the letter, restless, fumbling and turning it over, tracing the scarce letters with her fingers. She must have seen the adress by now. And the sender's name. Not that it's any of his business.
"I'll be going now, then."
"Yes, you do that." She didn't even pay him a glance, eyes focused on the precious piece of paper. Until a couple monents later when she raised her head and said, "Thank you, James."
The first time she ever called him by his name. He nodded, turned around and left the room. He heard the rustle of paper the second the door closed behind him.
Shepard didn't seem to waste a single second.
"Hello, Shepard.
I'm doing alright. The weather has been kind to the fleet, and the quality of rations on the Neema has improved significantly since the time of my trial.
I wish I could speak about something than the food and the weather, though. Not that I can, especially knowing there is a high chance my letter will first see the Alliance command rather than you.
I don't know whether you've been receiving my letters but was unable to reply or haven't read any of them it all. Just as I don't know which would be more cruel — for you to slowly forget about my existence, or read my silent pleas unable say something in return. Maybe it'd be more mercifult for you to forget about me after all, to let the memories of us and the three stolen days on the Citadel to fade back into the distant recallations. Maybe I should have some mercy on myself as well, stop wasting my time on writing and cater fully for the needs of the Fleet. And yet I can't. The selfish, stupid part of me continues to write, and wishes you had read my letters, wishes you knew that I'm still among the stars. That I still miss you.
We will see each other again. And even if we don't, it was all worth it.
Forever yours, Tali"
What followed was a shriek, a high and desperate scream mixed sobs and muttering. James never knew a human could scream like that. I could come in, he thought. She could use a hug. Someone to tell her that it will be alright. The thought didn't linger longer than a moment. He didn't know Shepard well, but one thing was for certain: the Commander doesn't tolerate weakness, neither hers nor somebody else's.
He turned around and started the walk along the corridor.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Mass Effect Trilogy Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian, Female Shepard/Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Garrus Vakarian/Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian/Tali'Zorah nar Rayya Characters: Garrus Vakarian, Female Shepard (Mass Effect), Tali'Zorah nar Rayya Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Pairings are tagged because everyone is making eyes at each other but they just met, Spectre Garrus Vakarian, Shepard Never Joined the Alliance, Canon-Typical Violence Summary: When Council Spectre Garrus Vakarian goes to Earth to meet his Quarian informant for his investigation into Saren, things quickly go awry when he’s shot down over the Canadian wilderness. Just as things start to seem like a lost cause, he’s found by a human guide named Shepard. With Shepard’s help, he just might be able to rescue his informant and bring Saren to justice. Even in a world where Shepard never joined the Alliance and Garrus became a Spectre, paths are still meant to intertwine as the universe hurtles towards the arrival of the Reapers. - I did it! First chapter up of my Shepard Never Joined the Alliance AU is up!
Tali is bi-bi-bi,probably with a slight preference for males. "I would link suitswith you" -- an act that canon links as the highest act ofintimacy between quarians – is something she says for eitherShepard, after all. Based on the fact that she's got two male loveinterests (M!Shep and Garrus) in canon, I think there's a slight biastoward men. But she's definitively open to women as well.
Hell, basedon this Easter egg, I would argue she's up for polyrelationships, too.
TL:DR Tali isromantically adventurous.
2: otp
Tali is the freakingpeanut butter of Mass Effect,which is to say that there's very few ships that I can't see her inand it's hard to narrow this down to one. So...I'm not. >_>
I'mobviously very fond of Shepard/Tali;I think for many Shepards, Tali is an ideal companion: she's funny,whip-smart, and kind. Nearly any Shepard can find a way to relate toher: Spacer! Shepard and Tali both understand what it's like to growup on a ship, Mindoir! Shepard and Tali can bond over what its likewhen your people are hurt just because of who they are, and certainlyEarth! Shepard and Tali both know what it's like to grow up poor.Shepard is the first one to come to Tali's defense, and that has tomean a lot when your people are regularly used as a scapegoat. Tali,meanwhile, is always loyal to Shepard: Tali is the first companion tosee Shepard as Shepardin Mass Effect 2.
Ialso like Shakizorahformuch the same reasons. All three of them have reasons to sticktogether; Garrus finds a family that accepts him, Shepard findspeople who don't mind a good explosion or two (because let's face it:Shepard's life is never boring), and Tali gets a boyfriend anda girlfriend who love her utterly for who she is and could care lessthat she's the former Admiral Zorah's daughter….or that she'sAdmiral Zorah herself. Andin other OT3s, I'm pretty fond of Joker/Tali'Zorah/JamesVega,wherein James is the only guy who can open a jar of pasta sauce butthe other two can run circles around him in tech.
Andamong her own people, well, Tali/Kal'Reegariscute – and any boy with a rocket launcher has to be a favor ofTali's – and I'm equally fond of Tali/Zaal'Korisbecause I think those two could find a moment of sanity in oneanother compared to the lunacy of the rest of the Quarian admiraltyboard. Sure, he's old enough to be her dad, but he's also smart,plays politics well, and has similar ethics to her: again, notsomething that can be said for most of the Quarian fleet.
Tali/James Vega is also something I want to write someday.These two are the only ones on the Normandy crew with the power todance, and we all know Talilikes soldiers. James loves any girl who can kick his ass, and thefact that she has a shotgun is honestly probably a turn-on for him.
3: brotp
Tali and Wrex:What do you get when you cross two people from two vastly differentcultures who are both discriminated against in common society? Akinship. Wrex explicitly calls himself Tali's “uncle”; the twoseem quite close. I love the idea that Wrex took Tali under his wing,and I headcanon that as an admiral, Tali calls Wrex from time to timeto get his opinion on certain political revenuers.
4: notp
Uh….Therereally aren't any that I can think of. I guess I'll say Tali/Wrex,because the one or two stories I've seen of them together tend to bewholly out of character and very denigrating to Tali.
5: firstheadcanon that pops into my head
Tali's fabric wrapwas given to her by her mother. The pattern is unique to her mother'sfamily and Tali wears it as a way of doing homage to her mother andher mother's ancestors.
6: favorite linefrom this character
“Nobody's faster than Chatika Vas Paus!”
This is the only squaddie line that never gets old for me. (Yes,Garrus, enemies everywhere. We know.)
7: one way inwhich I relate to this character
We both lovemusicals, to an insane degree that none of our partners can quitejustify.
8: thing thatgives me second hand embarrassment about this character
Two words:Photoshopped. Picture.
9: cinnamon rollor problematic fave?
Both, at times, but mostly cinnamon role. Tali is a bit toonationalistic and this creates problems with the Geth, but overallshe's a lovely person and one of the few Mass Effect characters whoare actually Good People. Probably the one I'd most like to hang outwith of my favs.
I think that one would be a good garrus/tali/femshep.
(I know that the prompt said drabble, but dammit, I wanted a longer story, so you’re getting 1,000 words! Hope you don’t mind.The word - which unfortunately got wiped out when I replied to her original ask - was Gargalesthesia - The sensation caused by tickling. )
All Fair in Love and WarSummary: All Tali wanted to do was get a good night’s sleep for once. Garrus has other ideas. (PG-13, Femshep/Garrus/Tali)
- - -
There was an odd sensation on her waist.
Tali tried to ignore it.Sshe turned onto her side and curled up under Shepard’s covers. Ever since she started sleeping without the enviro-suit, she’d been sensitive to any shift in their bed.
The odd feeling continued. It was likely her nightgown getting caught, she thought. She’d been sensitive to the movement of the fabric, too.
She pulled it off.
Garrus shifted a bit in his sleep. She closed her eyes.
Garrus fingers flexed against her waist.
At first, she thought he was sleeping, so she ignored it. When he did it again, she gently picked up his fingers and pushed them down into the space between them.
He obeyed her hint, and she sighed with satisfaction. She closed her eyes.
She was almost asleep again when Garrus fingers’ reappeared on her waist. This time, his long fingers bent in a slow and deliberate pattern, one that she hadn’t felt since childhood.
The bastard was tickling her.She laughed.
“Garrus, stop it.”
She pouted, and, for once, he could see it. He tilted his head.
“You know what! Yours finger movements!” She imitated his fingers.“Oh?” He said, deceptively innocent. “Like…this?”
He repeated the gesture, and she hid her face in her pillow as she laughed.“Oh, Keelah!” She giggled as he upped the ante, teasing her until tears were falling out of her eyes. “Shepard, make him stop!”Her girlfriend’s drowsy head moved somewhere to her left. “Stop wah-?” Garrus shifted and suddenly Shepard’s side twitched. “Hahahahahaha!”
“What?”
Shepard curled up into an odd human ball, as Garrus continued teasing out little giggles from their oh-so-tough Commander.
“Garrus, you’re terrible.” Shepard gasped between laughing fits. Tali agreed.
But at least if he was toying with Shepard, it meant that he wasn’t going after her anymore. although the jiggling on the bed didn’t exactly make it easy to sleep either.
Neither did Shepard.
Shepard swung a leg over Garrus’ hips and Tali didn’t miss his answering purr. She frowned, until Shepard shot her a look that said simply to wait. She tensed, battlefield instincts kicking in.
Shepard leaned over and licked Garrus’ mandible, slowly following a trail down to his lips. Garrus’ purr stuttered and Shepard wrapped her hands around his head as she slowly slid her tongue into his mouth.
Garrus liked that, she could tell. He grabbed Shepard close, his hand slowly disappearing up her shirt as his tongue wrestled with hers.
Okay, while watching her boyfriend and girlfriend make out was nice, Tali didn’t understand why Shepard was making her watch this.
She was waiting for justice, and it was not being served.
Shepard held up a finger behind Garrus’ head. Three fingers. Tali wondered what she was trying to say.
Before she could ask why, Shepard put one finger down, leaving two.
She wiggled Garrus’ sleep shirt off and threw it to the corner of the room. Hers followed.
“That how you want to play, huh?” He said, voice deep and husky.
“Yeah.” Shepard said, voice full of sex, and then her mouth found his again.
Shepard held up 1 finger behind her back, and opened her eyes to look at Tali.
Tali stared. She knew Shepard was counting down.
But for what?
As her hand trailed down from one finger to none, she saw Shepard dart her hand to Garrus’ waist and make a quick viper-like tickling motion.
“Ah!” Tali darted her hand along his cowl and Garrus’ purr stuttered into an undignified turian yelp as her three fingers twitched across his long back, tickling him as Shepard kept up a frontal assault.
Garrus laughed as the two ruthlessly attacked his front and back, his body contorting into all kinds of odd positions. Turians couldn’t cry, but his sub-vocals were rapidly reaching high-pitched levels she didn’t even know he could make.
“Mercy.” He chuckled. “Oh, please, mercy.”
“Surrender?” Shepard asked.
“Yeah, Yeah.” he huffed. “I know when I’ve been beat.”
“Good. You idiot.” She narrowed her eyes. “What’d you wake us up for, anyway?”Garrus raised a brow-plate. “Well…You are up now.”“So?” Tali crossed her arms. Yes, they were up now – because some bosh’tet had woken them up.
“So…It’s a couple hours til our shift starts, and…” His eyes turned to her, heat burning in them, as he slide a hand down her thigh in a deliberate caress. A tease, but of a far different sort. “Gotta find something to do.”
“Something…” She raised an eyebrow. “Or someone?”“Why choose?” He murmured as he darted on top of her, all quick and graceful movements. Stupid sexy turian. He bent his head down to lick her shoulder, his bright blue eyes never breaking away from her body.
Shepard laughed. “Damn, Vakarian, are you telling me you woke us up just because you were awake and horny?”“Yeah.” He said, planting a trail of kisses down Tali’s stomach.
She heard the bed shift as Shepard shifted to her side.”At least you admitted it.”“I like hearing you laugh, too.” Garrus murmured, before planting a kiss on her belly button that produced an entirely different sort of reaction.
She didn’t have time to dwell on it. Shepard stroked her hair as she bent down to plant a long, tender kiss on her lips and Tali moaned.
“Guess we gotta have to hand our bosh’tet something – he knows how to find his moments.” She whispered, before reclaiming her girlfriend’s mouth.Shepard chuckled, then deepened the kiss.
“You know me, always savoring our time together, Tali.” Tali sucked in a deep breath as Garrus moved lower, his mouth planting kisses between her legs.
She pinched Shepard’s nipples and was rewarded with a gasp from her commander.
Alright, she thought, this was worth it.
This was so very, very worth it.
Garrus could definitively pick his moments.
And she really, really didn’t mind that he’d woken her up at all.- - -
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