Shepard sat at her desk, her bare feet propped up on the surface and her hand resting on the sixth cup of coffee she had prepared that night. She swirled her finger along the rim lazily as she read her emails. The sound of Thane's snoring was filling the cabin and keeping her awake. Not because of the sound itself, but because it meant that his lungs weren't taking in oxygen like they should and how that meant that his time was running out quicker than they imagined.
She rubbed her eyes sleepily and clicked the top message in her inbox. She had already read it, but she found herself reading it again for the fourth time.
Sender: Mordin
Re: Kepral's Syndrome
Shepard. Analyzed data. Found no new results. Will re-analyze. Sending messages to other scientists. Will inform on their response. Several scientists researching cure. Maybe one will know?
She skipped the rest of the letter, not really understanding what he was saying anyway. Mordin had a way of rambling on, and his emails were no exception.
Yawning, she stood and walked over to the bed where Thane was sprawled out. She curled up beside him, laying her head on his chest. He mumbled in his sleep and blinked his eyelids as he woke.
"Siha? Have you been awake all this time?"
Shepard looked up at him, "Yeah. Couldn't sleep."
Thane laid his hand on her face, stroking her jaw lovingly. "It is unhealthy for you to run on coffee alone, siha. Perhaps you should stay on the Normandy tomorrow instead of going to the Citadel?"
"For what purpose?"
"So you can rest."
Shepard pushed Thane's hand off her cheek and sat up restlessly. "I need to go to the Council and present our findings from the Collector Base. And I wanted to talk to Chorban to see see what else he's found out about the keepers, and whether they've changed at all . Besides, I need to talk to some doctors and the Citadel has the best doctors in the galaxy."
Thane sat up on his elbows to study her, "You needn't worry about me, there is no reason to speak with doctors yet."
She looked back at him, "That's on the top of my list. The Reapers are in the future, it could take months for them to even leave dark space. You could...well your problem is more immediate." Her voice was annoyed. She didn't know why he wanted to argue with her, she always won.
Thane sighed and pulled her closer to him, "Siha, I appreciate your concern for me. But I don't want you to overstrain yourself. You have enough to worry about."
"Concern noted. Now go back to sleep." She was exhausted, her body felt heavy and her mind was trying to coerce her body to keep up with it. As much as she wanted to push forward, to destroy the Reapers, cure Kepral's Syndrome and convince the Council that humanity could handle the weight they had been given, she couldn't. She'd never been patient, but it was even worse when absolutely nothing could be done.
It was a waiting game, a game she was notorious for failing at, especially when it was something she cared so deeply about.
Shepard sniffed and realized she was crying. Thane stroked her hair, not saying anything. She buried her face into his chest and struggled to gain composure.
"Ari, look at me." Thane only used her first name when he was serious about talking to her. She pulled her face from his chest and rubbed her nose with her sleeve. He reached up and wiped the tears from under her eyes. His face was marked with concern, "I think you should sleep tonight, and worry about everything tomorrow. The universe will be okay without your protection for a few hours."
Shepard opened her mouth to argue but changed her mind and nodded. Thane lay back down and pulled her with him. After she settled, her head on his chest, he kissed the top of her head. He then repositioned her so that he could reach around her and touch her arm. Shepard's omni-tool sprang to life at his touch and Thane leaned over to click one of the buttons.
"Je t'adore, siha."
Shepard hesitated for a moment, confused by Thane's sudden use of a language she didn't know. When she realized Thane was attempting to speak 'human', she laughed in spite of herself. She continued laughing as Thane turned her translator back on. In between giggles, she said, "Wrong language."
He looked down at her, confused, "The number of human languages is puzzling. Which language do you speak?"
"Hebrew. But you don't need to learn my language, Thane."
Thane stroked Shepard's cheek lovingly and kissed her lips, "I want to be able to speak with you without our translators. That would be a noble goal, I think."
"It is, and thank you for the attempt. What does 'je t'adore' mean, anyway?"
Thane smiled sweetly and kissed Shepard again, "I'll tell you when I learn the Hebrew wording. It is something I want to tell you without the aid of technology."
Shepard pouted but didn't argue. They kissed one more time before both closed their eyes to sleep.