Thane Krios was the greatest assassin the galaxy had ever known. His mark was unerring, his precision mechanical, his focus absolute, and his tenacity unmatched. Never once had his aim misled him, or his nerve betrayed him.
And yet his hands couldn't stop shaking as his heart pounded against his ribs.
"Come on, Thane!"
"Let's hear the news!"
Thane glanced up from the datapad to see the eager faces on the other side of the table; Legion and Samara waiting patiently, Jacob and Garrus both leaning in eagerly, Tali hugging herself in excited anticipation, Kasumi Goto leaning on one hand with a foxlike grin, and Jack clearly preparing to get him in a massive bear hug. Even Grunt and Zaeed were standing in the back with arms crossed, trying not to look like they were just as eager to hear the news as the others.
Taking a deep breath, one that came easier then expected, Thane tapped the data pad to open the message from Mordin Solus and the Hanar research team, and began to read aloud.
"Thane Krios...long term prognosis has come in and we have finalized the results of the blood work and genetic markings of, erm...I'll skip to the important part..." Everyone leaned in closer as he scrolled down a little further. "Thus, we've been able to definitively conclude that..."
All at once, Thane felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders as he read the last words in his head. His expression must have betrayed him as he heard a few gasps and a squeal from the quarian.
"That..." he finished, his trilling voice cracking slightly. "...the degradation to your lungs has not only been halted...but reversed."
More gasps, and a loud bang as Jacob slammed the table in triumph. "Come on, keep going!" Kasumi spoke up.
Thane couldn't stop his heart from racing as he read on, stammering slightly. "W-we can determine with near certainty...that you have been cured of Kepral's syndrome."
The noise was deafening as the whole party let out a cheer as Jack vaulted over the table to tackle Thane with a hug, Garrus and Jacob following suit as the two other closest people to him. Thane was so overwhelmed he could do nothing but smile warmly, patting Jack on the back as tears she didn't dare show anyone soaked into his shoulder.
A pneumatic hiss and a squeal of boot leather on metal broke up the celebration as Amelia Shepard suddenly barged into the room, her blonde hair draped messily over her fading red scars.
"Fuck me dead, did I miss the big announcement?" she demanded, her Australian accent coming out in force as it did when she was upset. Everyone turned to Thane struggling to make himself seen through three of his teammates hugging him.
"I-I've been cured," he said simply, barely able to believe it himself as Shepard stomped the floor repeatedly.
"Fuckin'...!" Shepard exclaimed as she stomped around in a mix of anger and excitement. "I knew that Mordin could do it, that bastard!"
"We throwin' a party then?" Zaeed interrupted. "Feels like somethin' worth celebrating to me!"
Everyone shouted in agreement as the mass of Thane's friends pulled him to the mess hall. And for once, as he drew in another deep, full breath of air, he wasn't as opposed to the idea as he was before.
---
An uncertain amount of hours later, Thane sat alone in the darkened mess hall amidst party debris and overturned tables, still reading over the message again and again, not quite believing the words he was reading. He found himself so engrossed that he jumped a little when someone slid up next to him.
"Man, I still can't believe it..." Shepard said, sounding a little inebriated. "I mean, this'll be amazing for drell society and shit...but hell, I'm glad we aren't losing ya, man."
Thane chuckled a little as Shepard pulled him into a rough side hug. "I'm...still trying to process the news myself," he admits. "It almost feels like there should be some drawback, some caveat. Mordin mentions potential for some side effects near the end here but-"
"Hey, don't look a gift horse in the face, or however that expression goes, right?" Shepard encouraged him. "It's good news, worth celebrating, ya drongo! And looks like ya did a fair amount of it too." She gestured wide at the small stack of plates in front of him, which mildly surprised Thane.
"I wasn't aware I ate that much," he admitted.
"Baah, just got caught up in the moment, ya...hrmmmph..." Shepard clamped a hand over her mouth. "Blimey, I've had too much...gonna crash for the night. You take care of yourself, Krios." Thane winced as she slapped a hand on his back before getting up and stumbling off to her quarters. Shaking his head, he decided to follow suit, snatching a few fries (such a curious human culinary creation!) from a plate on his way to the door.
Finally reaching it, he braced his hands on the doorway and began the arduous task of fitting through it, sucking in as much of his gut as possible before forcing the cauldron-sized pile of blubber through, meaty thighs scraping against the-
"Thane?"
Thane blinked, seeing Shepard staring at him as he pressed against the frame of the door. Dropping his hands, he ran them across his slender figure for a moment before looking up again. "Uh...must be a little tired," he admitted, not dwelling too long on the strange sensation. Probably one of those side effects, Mordin did suggest mild hallucinations didn't he?
"Well get some sleep then, can't have you fondling door frames when we're out on missions," Shepard teased, prompting an eye roll from Thane. As he made his way to his room, he quickly put aside the strange feeling he had as he turned in for the best night's rest he had in decades...
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