literature

Article 108 (TK)

Deviation Actions

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Over the comms, Joker had said it would be somewhere in the ballpark of ten or twelve minutes until pickup, on account of a dust storm. Two of them had just been spent in the Mako's moderately-large interior, in stony silence.
Finally, Garrus slid down out of the Mako's turret and said, "You know, we heard the rumors, but-"
Shepard pounded the steering column. "It is not my fault Rayingri is built like a skate park!"
Tali turned to face Shepard from the nav console. "Skate park?"
"It's this thing we have on Earth. People take these boards on wheels and do stunts there. Lots of really uncontrollable jumps," Shepard urged, turning in the driver's seat to glare pointedly at Garrus.
Garrus chuckled. "Look, between your supposed Mako qualifications and, uh, personal experience, I'm inclined to think that bumpy ride down there was your fault."
"You were out there with me! You saw how rough the terrain was!"
"And you're asking me to believe humanity's best rover can't handle a little rocky ground?"
Shepard let out an annoyed sigh, folding his arms. He swore to himself that the first thing he'd do once he was back aboard was put in an official request to have the entire Mako line fitted for continuous tracks.
Garrus chuckled, leaning back against a support strut and planting the heels of both feet on the railing that ran around the navigator's console. Some of the dust from Rayingri's surface fell off his boot soles, sprinkling onto the floor.
Tali was less than amused. "Get those off," she said, giving Garrus's foot a smack.
"Any reason why I should?"
"You'll get that dirt all over the console."
"And?"
"If the Alliance can't train their men to drive right-" Shepard made an obscene hand gesture in her direction. "-What makes you think they'll dustproof the interiors of their vehicles?"
"Hm, good point." Garrus grinned smugly, then tapped more dirt off his boots. "Then again, it's not coming out of my payroll."
"You two are the worst," Shepard grumbled.
Tali looked up when some more dirt fell across her station. "Seriously, Garrus, I'm working here."
"Can't be anything important."
"It's only a diagnostic report. I mean, you might need that when you're repairing this thing."
"It's the same wheel every time. Right, Shepard?"
"Shut up."
Garrus shrugged nonchalantly, giving his boot one final thump against the console. The holographic display disappeared.
The cabin was silent again. Tali seemed frozen in disbelief, Garrus was surprised and maybe a little bemused, and Shepard was glad somebody else was going to get ragged on for a change.
"Garrus broke the Ma-ko! Garrus broke the Ma-ko!" he said in singsong.
"Wha- No!" Garrus exclaimed, suddenly on the defensive. "It's just a little dirt in the projector or something."
"You were pounding on that thing like a drum," Shepard cackled. "We're both witnesses!"
"I- no, come on, Tali, open it up and see! That wasn't my fault!"
"Somehow, I don't believe you," Tali said dryly.
"How long was it for accidental destruction of Alliance property?" Shepard mused. "Like, four days in the brig?"
Garrus seemed a little panicky now. "Tali! Come on, help me out here!"
Tali sighed. "The brig seems like overkill," she said. "And Garrus is one of our best shooters. I think we can be a little more lenient."
"Alright then, Tali," Shepard said. "What's your suggestion?"

Tali opened up one of the emergency parts kits. "Garrus, keep your legs right where they are for a minute."
"Uh... sure." Garrus shifted around uncomfortably, but kept his ankles on the rail, heels hanging over. "Can I ask why?"
"No." Tali threaded some thick rerouting cables under the rail and around Garrus's crossed ankles. "Now, admittedly, I have no idea if this will work, but you never know until you try."
"Does it bother anybody else I have no idea what's going on?!" Garrus barked.
"It's okay, I don't either," Shepard replied sotto voce.
Tali undid the clasps on Garrus's boots and slid them off under the makeshift ropes, exposing his long, broad feet sheathed in soft, stretchy dark blue socks- Probably made from acrylic, by the look of it.
"Alliance blue pops up where you least expect it," Shepard remarked.
"They're Palaven blue," Garrus snapped. "Like my face paint."
"Eh, I never saw any difference."
"There's a big diff-gYAH!" Garrus jumped as something brushed up against his sole. "Spirits, Tali, what the hell are you doing?"
"What do you think?" Tali replied mischievously.
Shepard had put two and two together a little faster than Garrus, and was leaning back in his seat, hands over mouth. "Oh my god, are you serious? No way. Is-Is this for real?"
"Is what for real? Somebody tell me-" Garrus's jaw went slack for a moment, and his eyes widened. Wait- no, that can't be what she's thinking.
"I think he finally figured it out," Tali said, then dragged her fingers in zig-zag patterns around on Garrus's heel.
Garrus clamped his jaw shut before he could burst into laughter, but his mandibles quivered and a few squeaks and giggles escaped every so often. His voice jumped in pitch every time Tali hit a particularly sensitive patch of his foot, just above the heel.
Shepard watched, scarcely believing his eyes. "I should record this," he said finally.
Garrus's icy-blue eyes came back into focus for a moment to glare at Shepard. "Do-hon't you dare," he growled, before squeezing them shut as Tali stroked at the sides of his feet.
"Alright! Alright! Jeez, what're you so mad at me for? It was her idea."
"Turians get mad at everybody," Tali said glibly, scratching between Garrus's long toes. "It's their thing." Under her hand, Garrus's foot writhed and curled, pulling at its restraints.
"Fair point. So how'd you come up with this idea, anyhow?"
Tali shrugged. "Well, I just figured if we're going to punish him for breaking the Mako, we may as well focus on the part of the body that did it."
"I-hee did not break the Mako-hoho!" Garrus insisted. He hoped nobody had heard him chuckling under his breath.
"The console was working fine until you started kicking it." Tali started using one hand on his other foot, working on his arches while the other attacked his heel. She could finally hear Garrus laughing now- quietly, yes, but he was starting to lose control. "Why don't you join in, Shepard?"
Shepard blushed. "Oho, no, thanks. No offense to you, Tali, I just think he'll kill me if I do."
"Da-HAmn right I will," Garrus said, briefly alarmed at how loud that last laugh was. He grew more alarmed as a stream of raspy giggles began to stream out of his mouth, and tried to hide them behind his wrist.
"Really, Shepard?" Tali cocked her head at the commander. "You're scared of Garrus killing you? Over this?" She swiped back and forth across Garrus's arches again- the giggles became louder.
"Dohohoho-n't you DARE, Shepard--!"
But Shepard appeared to have made his mind up, despite making a show of rubbing his chin. "Ah, what the hell, you only live once."
"Great!" Tali said. "You take his left, I've got the right."
"AHA-No! Not great! Sheehee-Shepard, this isn't fair!"
"It's about as fair as breaking the Mako," Shepard replied, digging into his soles with gusto.
"I did not-GUHAHAHA!" Garrus might have held himself together for a while longer if it had been just Tali, but Shepard's involvement broke his resolve. Tali was teasing and methodical, not going for a big reaction right away. In contrast, Shepard was about as subtle as a brick, scrabbling along every inch of Garrus's foot without rhyme or reason. It was embarrassingly effective, as Garrus finally began laughing, hard and loud.
"Well, that was quick," Tali remarked. "Let's get his socks off!"
"Way ahead of you," Shepard reported, pulling it off his designated foot.

Turian plating is mostly focused around vital parts of the body, distinctly around the head and "center of mass", or so the Codex claimed. This logically left their extremities relatively unguarded. So it was no real surprise to find Garrus's feet were mostly covered in soft tan skin, with a few tiny silver plates concentrated around the ankles. The Codex failed to mention how sensitive they were- something Garrus knew all too well.
"Now- now, look, guys," he stammered. "Can't we just talk this out like reasonable people?"
"We've been over this, Garrus," Shepard said tiredly. "You broke the Mako."
"I- yeah, okay, I did. And I'm sorry, and I'll fix it. Alright? Is that enough?"
Tali flexed her fingers, narrowing her eyes. "You don't sound like you're sorry."
"Wh- I am! I swear I am! Just don't- I mean-" Garrus trailed off, looking away. Tali idly wondered if turians could blush.
"Jeez, Tali, I dunno," Shepard said, looking slightly rattled. "He looks scared."
"Oh, it's not like he'll die or something. He's just being a big baby."
"He's clearly uncomfortable with this. I say we stop."
"Aw, come on, Shepard! You were ready to go just a second ago, and now you want to quit?"
"Well, you clearly want this more than I do," Shepard replied. "Is there any chance we can talk you down?"
Tali crossed her arms defiantly. "Nope." 
"Alright, then. You go through with this, then you have to fix the Mako. All of it. Even the wonky wheel."
"That's Garrus's job!"
"Exactly. You go through something you don't want to in exchange for Garrus doing the same. It's a compromise. Does that sound fair to you, Garrus?"
"Make her calibrate the guns too and we'll have a deal."
"Alright. Tali, I'll hold you to it. Oh, don't give me that look- you have a problem with it, then back off. And I'll stop, too, so it's easier on you, Garrus. How's that?"
Garrus shifted around a little, staring at his makeshift restraints. "You know, technically, there's nothing stopping you if you do want to... join in."
"Well, that's your call."
"I, uh, guess I don't care one way or the other."
"Don't be such a pansy, Shepard," Tali said.
"Well, alright, if you're okay with it. You ready?"
Garrus took a deep breath. "Yeah, I guess so."
"Go easy on him, Tali."

Neither of them were really prepared for just how ticklish Garrus was. Whereas with his socks on he lasted for quite awhile before breaking, unshod he held on for far less. After a few seconds of humming and squeaking, Garrus started snickering and laughing easily, squirming where he sat.
"I thought I said to go easy on him," Shepard said, gently stroking the turian's sole.
Tali looked up from sawing in between Garrus's toes. "I am!"
"I-heehaHA-It's not you," Garrus giggled as he doubled over, holding his stomach. "It's me-heheehee!"
Shepard raised his eyebrows. "Jeez, no wonder you were so nervous."
Garrus nodded, eyes screwed shut. "Haha-how long until we-hee get picked up?"
"Another five minutes, I think."
"Da-hahahamn it-" Garrus gave up any pretense of self-control, beating on the floor with his fists. "GahHAhahahaHAA!"
Shepard shrugged apologetically. "On the bright side, it's five minutes until Tali has to fix the Mako."
Tali, annoyed at being reminded, dug her fingers into Garrus's arches a little deeper. "And I intend to enjoy every second of them, thank you."
I enjoyed the Mako until Rayingri. And yes, I do believe the Mako would've been much better if it were a tracked vehicle, like a proper tank ought to be.
Anyhow, here's Garrus getting tickled. Longer length than usual because I didn't feel like splitting up into chapters today.

Tali, Shepard, Garrus, Mass Effect belong to Bioware.
© 2014 - 2024 stod-stories
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TaliZorahFootFocus's avatar
Tali's a kinky little girl, going so far as having to fix the Mako if it meant tickling the turian some more.

"I should record this"
The Shepard in this story seems different from your ME2 stories -
he doesn't want anything do to with tickling Tali, yet he goes and tickles Garrus. :meow:

Shepard almost acts a little childish, too - "Garrus broke the Ma-ko! Garrus broke the Ma-ko!" :aww:
He comes off as more mature, more grown up in your ME2 fanfics.

It's like seeing Shepard, Garrus, and Tali all growing up like childhood friends!
Look at those three argue; they were rather young back then. :D