Work Text:
Shepard had been sat on the couch innocuously when the distant yell of “Shepard!” carried through the hallway of the apartment.
It wasn't long until Tali's head popped around the door frame. Although she'd been expecting this, Shepard still took a moment to compose herself internally. If she could play it cool, she would. After all, she technically hadn't done anything to make Tali too mad. It was nothing for which she couldn't explain herself.
“Shepard,” Tali repeated, “could you please tell me why there's five giant shipment crates taking up the space in our hall?”
Shepard turned towards Tali with a casual expression, just as she had rehearsed. “Remember I told you I'd ordered some model ships to sell at that charity event on the Citadel next week? Well, uh... it turns out I didn't just order some model ships. I ordered some crates of model ships by mistake.”
Shepard inwardly sighed, the confidence in her voice faltering under the unimpressed gaze Tali was now treating her to from across the room. When Tali simply listened without responding, Shepard continued, “So now we have about fifty ships to construct before the date instead of five. Look on the bright side, though! This just means we'll have the opportunity to raise even more money for the rebuilding effort than we were initially planning to.”
Tali couldn't help but roll her eyes good-naturedly. Admittedly, she did find Shepard's optimism to make the most of a bad situation endearing, but it was best not to reveal that fact just yet. Instead, she strolled into the living room and crossed her arms.
“And you didn't think to cancel the order when you realised the mistake?”
Shepard smiled sheepishly, “I didn't realise until the boxes showed up at our door, trailing behind the poor delivery guy who'd dragged them all the way from his skycar. I don't know how I missed it, but I really do think it's worked out for the best. Not just for the rebuilding effort, but for us personally as well.”
Tali was a little irked at having almost tripped over the unexpected boxes on her way in, but she didn't want her girlfriend to feel bad for the mistake.
Tali's expression softened as she sat down next to Shepard. “How so? It's going to be a challenge to get all of these built in time. We don't have to worry about the financial expense, at least.”
It was true. After the defeat of the Reapers, the Alliance had set up a generous retirement fund for the now ex-Commander. It had been an unexpected but welcome addition to their lives. It was a relief to not have to worry about money trouble on top of their personal recovery from the trauma of the war.
“Thank god for that.” Shepard agreed, “You know how I've been trying to find things to do with my newfound free time? I've been looking at the ships we built together on the Normandy and feeling oddly nostalgic. Those quiet moments of downtime meant a lot when everything was going to hell around us.”
Tali smiled at the memory. “I remember those times fondly.”
During the war, they'd occasionally set aside the time to relax in each other's company in Shepard's cabin, constructing the model ships they'd managed to find in various locations across the galaxy. Most often the Citadel, but Omega also had a surprising amount on offer.
“Well,” Shepard gestured vaguely in the direction of the crates in the hall, “Why limit ourselves to reliving that experience just a few times when we can do it several? I need things to do, so why not do something that brought us so much joy that it made us happy in a time when things were terrible?”
In truth, Tali was feeling pretty excited at the thought of spending an afternoon or so constructing the model ships with Shepard, just as they had done together all those months ago. It was a wonderful idea, really, to be able to truly take in the experience with far less stress breathing down their necks than during the war.
Tali knew that as much as she wanted to, she couldn't throw herself into the task without voicing some reservations first.
Before Tali could speak, Shepard cut in as if reading her mind, “I know you don't have the same amount of free time these days that I do. I don't suppose the Admiralty Board would let you take the week off to build model ships? You don't even have to tell them they're model ships, you could just say they're ships.” Shepard smirked.
“Sure, that wouldn't raise any questions with the admirals.” Tali smirked in return. “The regulations in place around the creation of new ships haven't yet eased since we've returned to our homeworld. It's still early days and the board has had to focus on more immediate issues for our people.” She explained, “And it would be worse because I'm an admiral. They would want to know where I'm building it, who I'm building it with and where I'm sourcing the parts. They wouldn't want to risk any embarrassment in the eyes of our people so I would be under extra scrutiny to set a good example.”
Shepard gave her girlfriend a sympathetic glance. She was sure this frustration with the other admirals went beyond taking time off work to build model ships. It was something she didn't have to worry about herself these days, no longer being part of the Alliance.
“I take it misleading the admirals doesn't count as a good example.” Shepard chuckled. “I don't miss the burden of having to be responsible.”
“That's one plan ruled out, then.” Tali sighed. If only there were a way to spend quality time with Shepard without neglecting the duty she had to her people. She wracked her brain for a solution when suddenly a thought hit her: the other reason why she couldn't take a week off work.
“You could always come with me to the conference tomorrow and we could get started on building the ships there.”
Shepard knew what Tali meant, but she couldn't help but be amused at the mental image that came into her head. “You mean I'd get to sit in the corner building model ships while you talk important government business with the Council?”
Tali grinned, “Pssh, I wish. Having you there might actually save me from the boredom I'm going to have to put up with for hours in the meeting. But really, it would be a relief to come back to the hotel after the meeting's over and unwind from the stress with you in the way we used to.”
Shepard formed a wry smile. “There's multiple ways we used to 'unwind from stress' together, you know.”
“Shepard,” Tali made a show of gasping in pretend shock, “I'm talking about the model ships.”
Shepard laughed and, despite her attempt at mock-seriousness, Tali joined in. Not only did she enjoy the banter with her girlfriend, but it was also a pleasant reminder that “unwinding from stress” had gotten easier and safer now that her people were acclimating their immune systems to the environment of their homeworld. It was how her people were now able to go periods of time without their masks and how there was less risk involved in catching an infection.
After the moment passed, Shepard turned her focus back to the original topic. “I'd love to come along and give you something to look forward to after the snoozefest. It's a shame they're travelling to Rannoch for this. You can't hang up on the Council when you're face-to-face with them.”
“Knowing you'll be in a room only a few minutes away will give me the morale I need to make it through.” Tali smiled warmly.
A comfortable quiet fell over the room until suddenly, a thought came to Shepard. “One question, though. How are we going to fit the ships into the suitcase? You saw the size of the crates out there.”
“We'll unpack them and see how many we can carry with us. Whatever we leave behind we can build over the coming week together. We should be able to do it if we treat it as a project and allocate our time correctly.”
Shepard nodded in agreement. She loved it when Tali revealed her nature as a competent and strategic admiral. “And failing that, I can always build some of the remaining ones during the day so there's less for us to handle when you come home from work.”
“We'll also have some last minute time on the travel over to the Citadel if we really need it.” Tali added.
With the plan decided, the couple set about unpacking and then repacking the model ships ready for their trip.
* * *
Originally, the plan had been to sell a small number of model ships to the few wealthy buyers on the Citadel who were lucky enough to get their hands on the “rare collector's items sold by the saviour of the galaxy.” Now, sat on their hotel bed surrounded by far more ships than intended, Shepard and Tali had been forced to reconsider their strategy for the charity event.
Both women were actually quite happy with the accidental turn of events. Neither of them had felt keen on catering to the elite and had agreed to do so simply because of Admiral Hackett's belief that the rich would clamour over themselves to outbid each other for the “prize” of a product built by Shepard. Shepard's name was valuable, and with it, any product associated with her was bound to bring in big credits.
Now, they'd decided to do things their own way. With far more of the product to sell, they intended to lower the price to make it more affordable for people to buy. It would be more fair; they hoped that, totalled together, the eventual profits would add up to more than they would've received through the original plan.
The task was going well so far, the construction of each ship taking surprisingly less time than anticipated.
“This is going quickly.” Tali remarked, setting down another fully constructed model ship.
“That doesn't surprise me with the sheer amount of zest you had to get started.” Shepard chuckled.
Tali's conference with the Council had predictably been boring, and by the time she'd gotten out of the cramped meeting room, she'd been raring to get stuck into something she found actually enjoyable. Meanwhile, Shepard had toured the area surrounding the hotel and returned to their room excited to do something other than stare at the scenery.
“And it doesn't surprise me with you either, considering your 'nature is beautiful but I can't stand to look at another flower' attitude that you treated me to when I came in.” Tali said with amusement. She then added with more sincerity, “I know you like to keep busy during your downtime and I appreciate that you waited for me to come back so that we could get started together.”
Shepard shook her head slightly, “I wouldn't have begun without you. This is an experience I want us to share.”
Tali smiled at the earnest response. She knew this was true and she reciprocated the feeling. She thought back to the previous evening of Shepard and herself trying to fit as many boxes into their suitcase as possible. They'd even brought out the spare case to carry a few extra ships, although it wasn't actually necessary for the trip. It was clear they were both ready to relive the nostalgia of spending quality time together during the war.
Shepard placed the ship she'd just finished building on the bed alongside the others. It was a model of the Normandy SR-2, giving her a sense of delight as she said, “It's still kinda hard to believe we're actually sat here right now doing this. I mean, back when we were fighting the Reapers, we did it to give ourselves a reprieve from thinking about the war. It was something relaxing and mundane to grasp onto, something that required a bit of brain work but barely any of the stress we were used to dealing with each day. And now we're here, the Reapers have been destroyed and we're fundraising credits to pick up pieces of the galaxy now that we've won.”
We've won. It was a thought that ran through Tali's mind every day, but she still felt as though she could wake up from this dream life she now found herself with at any moment. It would probably take years to finally sink in that not only were the Reapers gone, her people had also managed to return to their homeworld.
Tali grinned, reflecting on Shepard's words. “I understand what you mean. We're still going at the leisurely pace we used to, but this time we don't have the intense weight of the galaxy being destroyed threatening to cave in and ruin the bubble of peace we've created for ourselves. Now we can just be peaceful, and there will be no severe consequences if we step away from reality for too long.”
“The worst thing we have to worry about right now is how much of a pain it'll be if we don't get shift of all these model ships next week.” Shepard chucked, gesturing to their shared handiwork, “I mean, where are we gonna put all these if we can't sell them?”
“I'm certain we will. You could sell empty bottles of Tupari and people would buy them because they want a piece of the woman who saved the galaxy.”
Shepard laughed at the mental image. “I hope that's enough to get people interested in our niche hobby, then. Hopefully most people will be more enthusiastic about model ships than they are about empty Tupari bottles.” She contemplated for a moment, her expression turning more sincere, “I know it's an Alliance event and that Hackett's sort of made me the selling point, but I'm sure people will want to see you as well. It's been well documented that you were on the Normandy as we fought the Reapers and I know people will recognise your involvement in bringing an end to the war.”
Tali shrugged half-heartedly. “You know I'd rather take a backseat at press events. I get enough attention being a part of the Admiralty Board these days.” She paused, then added, “It'll be more enjoyable with you around, though. And it would be nice to feel appreciated by the wider galaxy in person.”
“That's the spirit. If it gets to be too much, let me know. We can leave early or find somewhere remote for you to rest up while we're there.”
“Thanks, Shepard. I'll let you know if I'm not feeling up to it but I'm sure it won't be a problem.” Tali replied warmly, setting down another constructed ship: the Destiny Ascension. She continually found herself touched by the care Shepard showed towards her and she knew that there was nobody else she'd rather spend time with in a situation that may go beyond her comfort zone.
The couple continued working away in comfortable quiet, until Tali said, grinning gleefully, “We could always send any remaining ships to our friends. You know, like how people send cards for special occasions. Except we do that with what we have left over of the ships.”
“Hah! We could send them a ship for every possible celebration until we run out. Imagine the look on Garrus' face when he realises he's getting a model ship for the anniversary of the end of the war, his birthday and the new year on Palaven. He would probably start to think we're losing it to a model ship obsession.” Shepard laughed, “Although I think some of our friends would actually enjoy it. Believe it or not, Grunt would probably be secretly overjoyed to start getting 'cool new toys' from his battlemaster every so often.”
“And I think Jack would appreciate it too, even though I can see her pretending she used them for target practice.” Tali added, barely stifling a giggle, “Who do you think would openly show their appreciation for our fantastic gifts? There has to be somebody.”
Shepard pondered for a moment. “Miranda. She has an eye for good craftsmanship and wouldn't mind receiving the same gift more than once as long as it's well-presented.”
“That's true. Still, we can vary it up a little between models.”
“That's if we have any left over by the end of the event. We probably won't be able to annoy or delight anyone with our gift giving if all goes to plan.” Shepard concluded. “It's a better idea than mine, which was to send them in bulk to Hackett for a laugh.”
“Hackett thinks highly of you. I think we can mark him down in the 'openly shows appreciation' category.” Tali smirked.
It was at this moment that the ladies felt their hands meet as they both attempted to pick up the final packaging box.
After the fumbling had passed, Tali asked, “Do you want the honours or shall I?”
Shepard inwardly cursed that they couldn't fit more ships into the suitcases they came with. She didn't want the pleasant moment they were currently having to come to an end, but at least there were more ships awaiting them when they got home.
“Why don't you build it while I make us something to eat? I want to see if the levo stuff they have here is as good as they promised.”
“Sounds good!” Tali hummed cheerfully, “This hotel has gotten a reputation for being one of the only places to stay overnight that offers both dextro and levo foods. Hopefully that'll change in the coming months. It's an issue I plan to bring up with the other admirals.”
“That explains why so many meetings with other species happen here. Is that why this place was chosen for the Council's visit?” Shepard asked.
“Yes, more or less. There were some other logistical reasons we considered as well, such as distance from the spaceport and the length of time the councilors were able to stay. We also wanted to make a good impression by choosing an area with a lot of natural beauty.” Tali mused, setting to work on building the final ship. “It still amazes me that we can now spend time thinking about the most scenic locations for visitors to our planet, rather than whether we'll ever get our planet back. It's no longer a distant 'what if', it's reality for us now.”
The enthusiasm in Tali's voice was apparent even over the sound of Shepard nosily unpacking food from the bags she'd carried up earlier. The retired ex-Commander felt a similar way about life after the war. Many months ago, despite working so hard to restore peace to the galaxy, the thought of living long enough to have a domestic life had felt like little more than an idealistic dream. Now the Reapers had been defeated, she was alive and living with her girlfriend on the beautiful planet they'd worked so hard to regain with the knowledge that they had the rest of their lives to live out however they wish.
Shepard grinned. It was little moments like this – simply being in each other's company and basking in the mundanities of every day life – that helped cement the truth in their minds that the life they now found themselves with was real, and that it wouldn't be torn away by a rude wake up call from the Reapers.
The couple continued to talk about a variety of light topics as they worked on their individual tasks. Tali had just about finished building the final model ship as Shepard walked over carrying two plates of sandwiches, both levo and dextro variety. While constructing model ships was something Shepard excelled at, constructing sandwiches was not, so she was pleased to see Tali enjoying them.
Personally, Shepard found hers to be fine, though a bit lacking in taste. It was as though the hotel bought their levo food from a different, cheaper supplier than their dextro food. It became less noticeable as she ate, and the mental image of the asari and salarian councilors subjecting themselves to cheap hotel food during their stay more than made up for the lack of taste.
With the ships they'd brought now fully built, the rest of the evening passed by quickly. A few rented movies later, sleepiness took over and both women drifted off into a comfortable sleep by each other's sides.
* * *
The simulated sky of the Presidium had begun its steady transition from day to night by the time the charity event came to an end. The event went off without a hitch; all ships sold within an hour of the six hour long event, leaving Shepard and Tali with plenty of time to explore and make the most of their day out. They visited other stalls, listened to live performances and tried their luck at various competitions throughout the day.
There were a few surprises along the way. Kahlee Sanders showed up with the surviving faculty of Grissom Academy, so Jack stopped by with a few of her students and bought several ships which she'd insisted were only for the students and absolutely not for herself. Hackett himself even made an appearance to congratulate them on the success of their stall, and after a brief moment of consideration, bought a model ship of his own. Despite Shepard now being retired from the Alliance, Hackett banked the success of the day on whether she would be present and he was visibly pleased to see her.
Now things were winding to a close. Most stalls had been packed away, visitors were leaving and official Alliance attendees were milling around near the balcony where the event took place. The atmosphere was jovial as people prepared for a night of celebration. It wouldn't be long until the darkness of the starry sky above provided the perfect backdrop for the artificial fireworks display the Alliance had organised to celebrate the Reapers' defeat.
While members of nearly every species gathered by the Presidium lake in anticipation for the display, Shepard and Tali surveyed the new stalls that were being set up for the next couple of hours: food and drink for all officially invited attendees to the event, laid out buffet-style, looking fancier than the ladies had ever expected from the Alliance.
“I'm happy to see they haven't forgotten to provide the dextro foods.” Tali commented, eyeing over the table full of snacks and drinks specifically set up for herself and a few turian guests. There was less variety on offer, sure, but it looked high quality and safe to consume, and that was good enough.
“I believe Hackett might have personally seen to the standard of what's available for you here after my conversation with him the other day.” Shepard remarked. Eating cheap levo hotel food had driven in the importance of putting effort into accommodating other species' food requirements, and in Tali's case, it was especially important that the food provided wouldn't make her sick or give her an infection. “I'm sure he would've done it anyway, but I never want there to be any uncertainty when it comes to your safety.”
“I appreciate it.” Tali smiled gratefully, “It means a lot that you look out for me with things like this. Even though it may not be as necessary now that our immune systems are improving, there's still the possibility that I may get sick and I'm glad that I don't have to worry about it not being taken seriously.”
While Tali was becoming used to going without her mask on Rannoch, the risk of catching an infection off-world was still high, so she'd opted to wear her mask until they returned home.
Before Shepard could respond, the distinct voice of an Alliance representative called over the chatter of the crowd that the fireworks were due to start in ten minutes. After the couple decided on their drinks of choice, Shepard took Tali's hand as they eagerly began searching for the ideal location to view the display.
They settled on a spot along the balcony, a little further aside from the other invited guests to grant themselves privacy, but not so far away that they were withdrawn from the jovial atmosphere.
“It's a good thing we sold the model ships, but I'm a bit disappointed we don't have any left over to send to everybody we know regardless of occasion.” Shepard said with a slight smirk as they both glanced over the Presidium lake. The walkway was dimly lit, faintly highlighting the people who were waiting by the lake for the fireworks to start.
“Look on the bright side. The profits we made today will do a lot of good towards the rebuilding effort.” Tali mused humorously, “And that was even before the credits that came out of Jack's pocket for the students and herself.”
“Just the students, honey. Jack was very emphatic about that.” Shepard chuckled.
Tali joined in with the quiet laughter, keeping her volume low just in case Jack happened to overhear and want to know what was so funny. “I don't suppose it would be a good idea to tell her we saw her building one of the ships by herself without any of the students around, then?”
Shepard grinned, “It may be for the best to keep that our secret.”
The distant sound of a lively tune began drifting through the air. It was an upbeat song about victory, a common theme in music since the end of the Reaper war, signifying that it was time to get ready to watch the display.
Tali took a sip of wine through her 'emergency induction port' and turned her attention to the ripples of water in the lake. “It's really amazing what can be achieved in a matter of months. You would have never known a coup attempt happened right here in the midst of a war. They've cleaned the place up well.”
The Presidium was one of the first places to be rebuilt on the Citadel. Progress in the Wards was slower, but hopefully with the help of the credits made from this event and others like it, more resources could be dedicated to areas still in need on the massive space station.
“There's still a lot of work to be done but it's good to have moments like this.” Shepard agreed, “It can be hard to feel the full extent of our victory when the consequences of the Reapers' destruction will be felt for years to come, which is why it's important to be able to reflect on our success in saving the galaxy from an even worse fate and allow ourselves to feel hope for the bright future ahead.”
The warmth that filled Tali's chest wasn't just from the alcohol. She loved hearing Shepard's perspective on what it meant to move forward now that the galaxy was rebuilding rather than fighting. She firmly believed that Shepard's resolute optimism and determination not to give into despair was part of the reason why she made such a great leader during the war and beyond.
Tali leaned in towards Shepard slightly, getting comfortable as her girlfriend wrapped an arm around her. Shepard savoured the taste of her wine as the lights near the lake faded and gave way to darkness.
A hush fell over the crowd in anticipation.
The energetic music swelled as fireworks began spiralling into sky, the colourful hues contrasting sharply with the stark black of the abyss above. A couple of distant stars were visible through the bright flashes of the display, but for the most part all eyes were on the offshoots and swirls dancing high over the lake, reds and greens and blues in all their glory.
Tali and Shepard were just two of many who were mesmerised by the beauty playing out before them. Displays like this were pretty rare on the Citadel; much like the Presidium sky during the day, the fireworks were entirely simulated, meaning that there were no safety risks involved in letting them off in the tighter quarters of the station. Despite their artificial nature, the fireworks looked convincingly real and were no less impressive than the fireworks Shepard used to see on Earth. Maintaining the illusion was expensive and Shepard had gotten the impression from Hackett that the fireworks had been donated from a reputable company to lure people into attending the charity event.
Tali placed her head against Shepard's shoulder. Shepard pulled her in a little closer as the display reached its dramatic finale. Both ladies felt comfortable in the embrace, quietly cherishing the moment together as vibrant gold shimmers filled the sky.
As they continued to drink their wine, the buzz of excitement was apparent in the air around them and the warmth they felt went beyond the physical warmth of their bodies. It was the warmth of being able to share the wonderful experience with not just each other, but with hundreds of other people who likely wouldn't be alive today if not for the Reapers' defeat. It was the knowledge that while there was a time where the thought of being able to do something like this again felt impossible, unifying moments of celebration can and will happen again all across the galaxy now that the imminent threat of galactic extinction was no more.
Loud bangs turned to gentle fizzles as each colour dropped from the sky. Darkness returned to the Presidium as the display came to an end.
“That was amazing!” Tali announced loudly enough to be heard over the applause that had broken out. “I've never seen anything like it.”
“Yeah, that was really something. Even better than the ones they have on Earth.” Shepard replied with a dreamy expression on her face, still staring at the sky where the display had been moments before. Tali wasn't sure whether her girlfriend was hoping for a final few fireworks to appear or whether she was taking in sight of the re-emerging stars.
Tali smiled at the sight. “I mean it. I've really never seen anything like it, apart from in movies and extranet vids. Fireworks weren't allowed on the Flotilla so I've never gotten to see them in person until now.”
“Perhaps that's something you can do now that you've gotten back your homeworld, if it's safe to do so.”
“That would be a dream.” Tali sighed in contentment, “Of course, it would have to be a day in the distant future, but what matters is that it's possible at all. It's more than I could have ever hoped for.”
The music mellowed into a gentle, more romantic variety of tunes. The audience watching from the lake began heading out in their separate directions and even some of the Alliance-invited attendees on the balcony were beginning to leave.
“They won't be kicking us out of here for a few more hours. You want to stay a while longer or head back?” Shepard asked.
“Let's stay. I want to try the brandy after this.” Tali decided. After a moment's contemplation, she added, “When we get bored here, I was thinking we could take a stroll down by the lake before returning to the hotel.”
So that's exactly what they did. An hour later, the ladies were faintly illuminated by the dim lights of the walkway as they strolled hand in hand along the lake, the quietened ambient of music and chatter drifting down from the balcony eventually giving way to the silence of the night. Only the tranquil sound of rippling water could be heard in the background of their gentle conversation.
A year ago, a night like this would've felt like an untouchable dream. A distant 'what-if' to provide hope through the darkest times. Now, they'd made it to the other side, and the future was full of possibilities. This was just the beginning of the lifetime they now had to live out with each other however they chose; the freedom was theirs to build as many model ships, watch as many fireworks and stroll as many lakes as they wanted.
The mundanities of everyday life were here to stay.