Work Text:
"Come on, Tali. You need a vacation," Shepard wheedled, slumping down on the couch so that she was on top of her wife, causing Tali to drop the datapad she was reading. "It's been all work for months. You need to take a break."
"There's too much to do," Tali said, squirming under Shepard's weight. "Oof, get off!"
"Are you calling me heavy?" Shepard asked in a scandalized tone.
"Yes, you bosh'tet!" Tali cursed. "You know you're even heavier than a normal human!"
Shepard laughed, before letting out a surprised shout as Tali rolled her onto the floor.
"Ow."
"You deserve it," Tali said, reaching down to grab her datapad. "I'm trying to get something done."
Shepard sat up, rubbing the back of her head.
"You've been 'getting things done' every day," Shepard pointed out. "Rannoch isn't going to fall apart if you take some time for yourself. You've barely explored. All these years, waiting for your homeworld, and now you have it. You should spend some time getting to know the place."
Tali sighed, setting the datapad on her lap.
"I know," she admitted. "But there's so much to do. It feels like I'll never catch up."
"Well, take an hour for lunch, at least. I want to show you something."
"I am hungry," Tali mused. "Only if we order in. I don't feel like cooking."
"Deal." Shepard pulled herself to her feet, then gently took the datapad from Tali's hands, before helping her up. "First, let's go outside."
"What's outside?"
"Besides the beautiful planet you're ignoring for paperwork?" Shepard asked. "Just a little surprise for the garden."
At the door, she paused.
"Close your eyes," Shepard said impulsively.
"What? Why?"
"Because," Shepard laughed, "it will be more fun that way."
With a long-suffering sigh and a grin hidden behind her hand, Tali covered her eyes.
"Okay, I can't see," she said.
"Good."
Shepard opened the back door of their prefab, leading Tali out with her hands on her shoulders.
"Okay," she said, positioning her so that she was facing the garden. "You can look!"
Tali looked.
"You got new flowers," she said uncertainly.
"Well, yes," Shepard admitted. "But not just any flowers. I had them specially imported from Earth. Don't worry, I spoke to the right people about it. They've been treated so that they won't damage the biosphere."
"That's good," Tali said, bending down to examine them. "What are they called?"
"The scientific name is helianthus annuus," Shepard pronounced carefully. "Commonly known as the sunflower."
"Oh, because the blossoms look like tiny suns!" Tali said, sounding charmed. "I love them!"
Shepard laughed, pulling Tali into her arms.
"Exactly," she said, as Tali leaned her head against Shepard's shoulder, and they both surveyed the small garden. "But they also remind me of Earth. I want Rannoch to be my home now. But I want to remember where I came from, too."
"I think they fit here perfectly," Tali said, turning in Shepard's arms to look at her. "And I want you to make this your home, too."
Shepard smiled, leaning in to kiss Tali softly. She was still getting used to being able to kiss her wife whenever she wanted, without a mask in the way.
"My home is wherever you are," she said.