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As far as the many planets they’ve fought on go, this one isn’t so bad, or so Garrus said. Tali could have done without having to climb a mountain.
The sunlight filtered through wispy white clouds, gleamed when it hit Tali’s suit and Garrus’ blue armour, sank into the dark planes of Shepard’s hardsuit. Normally Shepard would have had the shuttle drop them off closer to their target, but the Blue Suns had anti-air guns, because of course they did, and so they’d had to walk.
“I haven’t had to walk this far since the army,” Garrus complained. Tali glared at his tall back. At least he had long legs!
The rocky path was barely wide enough for the three of them in the normal wedge formation with Shepard at the point, with cliffs either side. Purple-blue leaved plants clung to the crevices.
“Exercise is good for you, Vakarian,” Shepard seemed unconcerned. She rarely did seem anything but calm, except when someone was being a real bosh’tet. That’s how it had been when they’d been hunting Saren. Shepard had always seemed so tall and determined, with those clear green eyes that seemed to know everything about you. A captain in everything she’d done. Tali had watched her, back then.
It hadn’t been until Shepard had died that Tali had realised the blushes, the way Shepard made her feel nervous and fidgety - she’d had a crush. One that had come back full force when she’d come back to the SR2.
Except now Shepard was willing to let her see how tired she was, or maybe she couldn’t keep the mask up anymore with Tali and Garrus. How much of it had always been an act back then so the crew could believe in her?
Shepard had stopped her from being exiled, had smiled when she’d rambled afterwards - said I trust you too, Tali - and Tali wanted that so much to be true. She didn’t want the heroic mask anymore.
“Turians are more sprinters than long distance runners, I’ll have you know-”
Tali ignored Garrus’ amused griping, looking at her omnitool. She’d sent Chiktikka ahead to scout.
“Shepard,” she called out, “there’s Blue Suns ahead.”
Shepard stopped and let Tali step closer and bring up her omnitool, showing the readouts. Tali was very aware of her presence, the way she tilted her head to study what was ahead. A small outpost of mercenaries
“Six of them,” Shepard said, “we can take that.”
Their ambush went off without a hitch. Shepard and Garrus dropped two of the mercs with their first two shots with their sniper rifles, courtesy of Tali bringing their shields down. Only one gets close enough for Tali to use her shotgun.
“You could leave me some,” Tali complained.
“You know we’re in competition for best shot on the Normandy,” Garrus shot back, “I can’t let her think she’s better than me.”
“Get good, Vakarian,” Shepard said, her smile audible in her voice, “I got three.”
“Only because I overloaded one,” he slotted a new heatsink into his rifle.
“Keep telling yourself that.”
That was when the centurion dropped in from the ledge above them with a snarl, jump jets flaring, wreathed in blue planes of tech armour. Tali staggered back, going for her shotgun - the turian was quicker. His shotgun boomed and her shields shattered.
“Tali!”
A black armoured form crashed into the turian, knocking the second shotgun blast off course. Shepard and the centurion struggled for a few long moments - split seconds that seemed to drag on forever. Tali raised her shotgun but she couldn’t get a clear shot - she couldn’t risk shooting Shepard-
The centurion staggered back and the ledge under his armoured boot crumbled. Human and turian tumbled over the edge.
“Shepard!”
The Normandy’s medbay door stayed shut, the lock glowing orange. Do not disturb. Tali wrapped her arms around herself. By the time she’d found her way down the cliffside to where Shepard had fallen, the Blue Suns centurion had been dead and Shepard had propped herself against a nearby rock. Her visor had been cracked and she’d been slipping in and out of consciousness.
The forty minutes it had taken for Garrus to destroy the anti-air guns and for the shuttle to arrive to medevac the commander had been the longest of Tali’s life.
She’d grabbed Shepard’s hand, with its too many fingers, and instead of pulling away, Shepard had squeezed back.
Garrus squeezed her shoulder now, his scarred face tight with worry.
“She’ll be okay,” he said quietly.
Tali twisted her hands together. “Why did she have to do that?”
Garrus gave her a strange look, opened his mouth and then closed it again. Finally he said, “You know how Shepard is.”
She did.
The door slid open and Chakwas emerged. Tali straightened.
“She’s awake,” the doctor said, “you can go in.”
“Is she going to be okay?” Tali asked anxiously.
Chakwas smiled gently. “She’ll be fine. She has a concussion but no broken bones. I’ll keep her on light duties for a couple of weeks and she’ll be back tackling turians before you know it.”
“Thank you,” she said sincerely, and walked past the doctor, Garrus on her heels.
Shepard smiled at the sight of them, propped up in the medbay bed. There were a few bruises on her pale, freckled face, dark purple and blue.
“That hard head came in handy for once,” Garrus chuckled.
“Ha ha, Garrus. Got one helluva headache but I should be fine.”
Shepard and Garrus exchanged a few good-natured barbs, before the turian patted her shoulder and left the two of them alone.
“Tali,” Shepard began uncertainly at the way Tali stood there, arms crossed.
“You bosh’tet,” she snapped, “you could have died!”
Shepard flinched and Tali remembered that she had a headache with a flicker of guilt, quickly overwhelmed by the furious worry. Shepard was their commander, their leader. She was Tali’s friend, her -
They couldn’t lose her. Tali couldn’t lose her.
“I wasn’t going to let him kill you,” Shepard protested.
“Then you should have shot him or something-”
“I wasn’t thinking,” Shepard admitted quietly. “I saw him standing over you with that gun and I just reacted.”
“Shepard,” she said helplessly, and collapsed into the chair beside the bed.
Shepard’s green eyes didn’t leave her visor. Tali had never wished she could take it off more, truly feel those eyes on her face. “You have to know.”
“Know what?” she blinked.
“How I feel. That I - care for you.”
“I know you do,” Tali replied, a little lost, “we’re friends.”
Shepard winced. “No, I...care for you as more than a friend. I didn’t think I’d been that subtle about it.” A wry smile. Tali blinked. Was she…? “It’s okay if you don’t feel the same. I know I’m the ship’s commander and your friendship is important to me. I don’t know what I would have done these past months without you too. I just thought you should know the truth.”
“You bosh’tet,” Tali said fondly, unable to help the smile that spread across her face under the visor, the hope blooming to life in her chest, “I told you I wanted to link suits.”
Shepard flushed. “I thought you just meant that you trusted me!”
“I do but…” She reached out and took Shepard’s hand, linking their fingers together, “I care about you too.”
“Well,” Shepard said, her smile growing, “it seems I’ve been a bit dense.”
“That’s okay,” Tali pressed the back of Shepard’s hand to her visor, wishing she could feel it against her cheek, her lips, “you do have a hard head.”
“Hey! I don’t think I like you and Garrus ganging up on me.”
“You deserve it,” for teasing - and for them looking after the woman who rarely thought of herself.
Her amusement faded into seriousness, “What now?”
“You need to rest,” Tali squeezed her hand, “and after that...we can talk.” Work out how this would work between them, how Tali could feel her skin without a barrier between them.
“Will you stay?”
“Of course.”