A/N: So, I thought I'd make a cute little Tali/MShep fic, nothing major... I hope you guys enjoy!

Affection

Alistair Lowary

It had been three days. Three days since she had gone up to his cabin, intent on sharing herself with him. Three days since she had revealed her face to another person for the first time. Three days since Shepard had assuaged her nervousness, since he had pressed his lips to hers. Three days since they had committed to each other fully. Three days since she'd come down with a nasty reaction from their union, though to her it had been totally worth it.

Tali yawned cutely, and turned to face the sleeping man beside him. She smiled as she heard his soft snore. He just looked so... so peaceful when he napped. Almost vulnerably, actually. The set, chiseled jaw he had while awake vanished in slumber, leaving a soft face that just seemed so innocent. His brow, which was always furled in determination whilst on the battlefield was relaxed. The quarian couldn't help but let out a soft giggle as he sniffled and buried his face into her neck.

She lazily drew a pattern on his chest with her finger, feeling the toned muscle beneath his shirt. She could also feel the scars, remnants of all the battles he'd fought. He never liked to talk about the older scars, so she'd never gotten to learn where they came from. She had never pressed the issue, though. She respected his privacy.

Tali suddenly felt a change in the position of the body next to her. A five-fingered hand grabbed her three-fingered one, and the digits intertwined. She looked at Shepard's face, and saw his ice-blue eyes staring into hers. His thumb massaged her hand, an almost purring sound escaped his lips as he felt her skin against his. He seemed far less intimidating when he was with her, and it made her blush slightly.

"Hey..." He said tiredly, bringing his free hand up to caress the side of her face. "How you feeling?"

"Better, I think..." She was quiet, almost as if she did not want to disturb his half-sleeping state. "These little bits of time I get to spend out of my suit really help, you know."

He smiled and kissed her cheek. "And what about our... other activities? Do they help at all?"

Her blush deepened, turning her pale purple cheek a darker shade of almost violet. "They're... accelerating the process. After each time, my immune system gets a little bit more used to you."

Shepard brought his lips from her cheek to her mouth, and pressed against her. She moaned quietly at the sensation, and pressed a little deeper into the kiss. "I'm... glad I could... help..." He murmured quietly as they breathed into each other.

Suddenly, he pulled away from her. Tali voiced some displeasure at this, and he just brought his index finger up and pressed it against her lips. "If I keep doing this..." He said reluctantly. "It'll help you become more adapted to me, but you'll get sick again. And you just got better, I... I don't want you to have to go through that again."

"Shepard..." Tali mewled impatiently, and kissed him hard. "Just shut up and kiss me."

He tried to protest, he knew she would feel ill soon. She was getting better, her system was adapting. She could be out of her suit in his sterilized cabin, but physical contact with him still took its toll on her. But she was kissing so slowly, and she tasted just so good. Far too good, actually. It was becoming harder and harder for him to maintain control, but eventually he won the battle. Shepard slowly pulled away from the kiss, gently grabbing Tali by the shoulders. "I'm not going to let you get sick again, Tali... we did this two nights ago, and last night. You need time to adapt."

She pouted cutely, her eyes were half-lidded with pleasure from the kiss. "Hmm... are you sure, Shepard?" She trailed a finger along his arm, causing him to have goosebumps.

"Pos... positive..." He managed to whisper. "Maybe in a couple days, after you get a bit more used to me..."

Tali sighed, and dropped her hand. It combined with her other hand, and she fiddled with her fingers a little bit. "Shepard, can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"On our first time, you were so passionate. It was the same with last night, too." She sighed. "Do you really care about my health that much, or did I do something to turn you away?"

He sat up in the bed, shock on his face. "What? No, no!" He pulled her hands apart and held them in his. "You didn't do anything wrong, Tali... I just want to make sure we take this in steps." He looked down in shame. "The past few nights, I was blind with lust. For you, just to touch you... Damnit, I still am... it's taking everything I've got to not jump you right now, and to hell with the consequences." He kissed the back of each of her hands and looked into her eyes. "But then I remembered what I told you, about wanting you to be safe... I remembered how nervous I was when you said that you could die from us being together... I don't want to tempt that. So yeah, I care about your health."

"Oh, Shepard..." She whispered, taking her arms and wrapping them tightly around him. "I didn't mean to... you're right... we should wait until I'm more adapted..." She pressed her face into his chest. "I was blind, too... When you spend your whole life in a suit, you tend to take every bit of time out of it as possible... but I don't want to die because of my desires. Besides, I've got the rest of my life to spend with you..."

Shepard ran his hand through her hair as she pulled away from the embrace. "I'll be yours, Tali... for as long as you'll have me. We've got years left for certain... other activities, so let's just focus on getting you healthy right now."

The quarian nodded, and settled back down into the bed. In a few hours, she'd have to get back in the suit again, let her body fight off the reaction from her time out of it. But for now, she was just going to lie here with her boyfriend... her human boyfriend. And as Shepard lowered himself next to her and wrapped a possessive, muscular arm around her and pulled her closer to him, she couldn't help but smile. His reassurance that he'd be with her for as long as she'd have him made her feel warm, loved, cared for. It was a good feeling.

"I love you, John'Shepard vas Normandy..." She whispered in his ear, only to find that he had already drifted into slumber. She reached down and grabbed the hand on her stomach, and squeezed it gently. "Good night, Shepard..."

And then she joined him in blissful slumber, her mind filled with pleasant dreams.

Please leave a review, or send me a PM and tell me how you're doing! I love hearing feedback from my fans. Tell me in the reviews if you want another chapter in this story, because I've got a few ideas, and I'd like to give you some halfway decent stories. Allons-y!