"Shepard." Mordin blinked in surprise as he entered the lab to find the commander standing awkwardly with a blue ceramic bowl in her hands. "was not expecting you so late. Problem?" She seemed equally surprised, eyes staring at him owlishly as she fumbled for the right words.
There it was again, the painful thudding in the professor's chest that he failed to identify. As he watched the usually confident woman gnaw nervously at her bottom lip, he couldn't help but take notice of the comforting warmth starting in his stomach and spreading over his body. The longer they stood there without saying a word, the further he fell into trance-like state with an over-sensory awareness for Shepard. 'Similar to tunnel vision,' he would later report.
When her low contralto drifted across the room he experienced a sudden sensation similar to being yanked out of warm water and thrown into the sterile environment of the science lab. He ached in the absence of the warmth, he realized, and his heart clenched.
"I noticed you weren't at dinner." She spoke over the hum of the fluorescent light fixture overhead. "Gardner had already gone to bed, so I made you some soup." As she talked, Mordin found himself stepping closer and closer, as if hypnotized, his usually racing thoughts focusing only on Shepard. He felt both at ease and as if he were drowning in confusion at the same time, but he was too preoccupied to work through his emotions.
His amphibious hands reached up to take the bowl from her grip, his gloved fingers brushing up against hers. Another burst of pulsing heat enraptured where they touched and Mordin produced a high humming in his chest cavity. The salarian watched as unmasked interest and something he couldn't identify crossed Shepard's face. He suddenly felt foolish and cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment.
"Was performing routine check-up on Mr. Krios. Lost track of time." Professor Solus inhaled the scent of the food deeply, a smile working its way onto his features. "Asari stew. Many health benefits. Thank you."
Her face lit up and Mordin felt the same daze settling over him. Had he been in a normal state of mind, he would have run diagnostics on himself to make sure he was alright. His irregular heart beat and the nervous, giddy sensation in his stomach were cause enough for concern.
"I'm glad you like it." Shepard fidgeted with her fingernails as she stared into his eyes, her face turning the oddest shade of red that made Mordin blink curiously. "I really should be heading to my quarters, though. I'll see you tomorrow?" There was a certain inflection in the question that implied a second meaning to her words. It could have been the lighting, but Mordin could have sworn he saw the coloring in her cheeks spreading over her neck and ears.
"Of course, Shepard. Here if you need me." On an impulse, he raised his left hand, showing his palm to the woman opposite him. They both stared at it for a while until he realized what he was doing and hurriedly withdrew the gesture. As he did so, another high thrumming noise reverberated in his chest. A green tinge rose to his horns as he sidestepped past Shepard and busied himself with clearing a space to eat.
Commander Shepard made her way out the door only to turn back around, her body half hidden from view, and murmur a soft 'good night' before leaving for the elevator.
Just those two words and Mordin had to grip the edge of the white medical table to keep from chasing after her and offering up his palm to her again. He couldn't let this go unchecked. He needed to see Doctor Chakwas as soon as possible.
Mordin didn't get the opportunity to see the doctor until the next morning cycle. Chakwas had barely woken up when Mordin came through the door, appearing almost frantic. "Doctor. Afraid of infection. Elevated heart rate. Fever."
Doctor Chakwas took a deep breath and plastered a grin on her face, sleep still ebbing away at her senses. "Come sit down and tell me when you started feeling ill and we'll try to figure this out." The salarian nodded eagerly and made his way to the medical table covered in a thin, translucent sheet of paper, and took a seat. The doctor pulled up a chair and procured a clipboard and pen, finding amusement in the way Mordin childishly moved back and forth over the paper to listen to how it crinkled.
"Professor Solus. What seems to be the problem?"
Mordin sniffed and grasped at the edge of the table. "Been feeling strange. Elevated heart rate, nausea, fever, in and out of daze... Very worrying." Chakwas made a couple of notes on paper and turned her attention back to her patient.
"About how long has this been happening?"
He sniffed again. "Indefinite period of time. Possible disorder. Salarians prone to social anxiety."
She returned her gaze to the paper, scribbling more notes. "Is there any specific situation you experience these symptoms in?" There was a lengthy pause where Mordin said nothing. Only when the silence became especially drawn out did Chakwas look up from her clipboard to Mordin, who had a strange, glassy look in his eyes. "Professor?"
"Shepard." He answered in a hushed voice, barely above a whisper. "Experience symptoms around Shepard." An increasingly familiar hum vibrated in his chest.
The good doctor's brows creased. "Has that been happening a lot lately?" She pointed a finger to where the sound had come from.
"Yes. In the company of Shepard."
Chakwas breathed out two syllables that sounded very close to "I see" before standing from her chair and moving to put it back at her desk. "Professor, I have an idea of what your problem is." Mordin listened attentively, barely breathing. "Did you consider the possibility that you're in love with Shepard?"
Mordin was physically blown back by the question, hands held above his head and eyes wide in shock. "Doctor. Impossible assumption. Salarians do not possess a sex drive. No concept of romance."
She leaned against her desk in a way that almost reminded Mordin of Shepard and a warm tingle began to work its way through his stomach. She reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose and visibly slumped. "I didn't say it was probable, only a possibility." Her words didn't do anything to ease Mordin's confusion. "How about this; I'll do some research and get back to you on this tomorrow."
The salarian had already slid off the table, reveling in the sound of the crinkling paper and offering Chakwas a thin-lipped smile. "Much appreciated, Doctor."
As it turned out, Mordin found waiting to be more difficult than he had already originally thought. Under normal circumstances, there was always a test to run or a problem to solve, but now he had none. He considered seeking out the commander to talk with under the guise of relaying medical information, but the thought made him terribly nauseous and he decided it was in his best interest to not go looking for her.
And so, for once, the day passed slowly for Professor Solus. At one point he found himself in the corner of the lab, tapping his foot and playing absentmindedly with the zipper of his coat, pulling it up and down comically to entertain himself. During another time of boredom, he endeavored to count all of the stars outside of his window, but always his thoughts returned to Shepard. At first it was the way she smelled, then it was the color of her hair, which quickly became the color of her skin, which no doubt led to the texture of her skin which, of course, meant he could only be expected to end up imagining the feel of her skin underneath him. He imagined its taste, its suppleness, its feel against his own bare flesh. He wondered how much more efficiently he would be able to study the muscle movements of her body if she weren't clothed, the heat it would give off.
Something he'd never felt before snapped him out of his daydream. It was similar the warmth he had experienced in his stomach, but much more intense and focused between his legs. A baritone thrumming came from his chest now, in stark contrast with the soprano. He gasped, clenching his fists and curling his toes, scared of the way his body was reacting. The fire only intensified, though, filling his head with thoughts of the commander.
"Professor Solus. Doctor Chakwas is on her way to the lab." EDI announced over the speaker. Mordin's eyes darted from left to right before he became aware that it was only the AI unit, not someone he actually had to worry about seeing him.
Shaking, he found his way up from his position leaning against the white wall. A chill scaled up his spine, making his body convulse as he became entirely aware of how erratically his heart was pounding. While attempting to steady his breathing, a thin and watery liquid fell between the clothe of his pants and his legs and pooled at the base of his foot, clear in color. He stared at it dumbly, trying to process through a fog what he was looking at.
At then it became familiar again. "Ah." He breathed deeply before that sound of the door sliding open caught his attention. He adjusted himself so his body was blocking the puddle was sight. "Doctor." Mordin could hardly recognize his own voice as it had taken on a deeper register, more like a growl.
Chakwas hardly batted an eye. "Mordin. I made some interesting discoveries." Her eyes drifted towards his feet and he shifted uncomfortably, clearing his throat to bring her attention back to him.
"Please, share." The doctor pulled up a couple of documents on her datapad and swiped through them before calling Mordin closer to show him.
"Do you know how salarians reproduced before mating contracts?"
"Of course. Used to imprint on other salarians before developing the social role of the Dalatross."
The lab was completely silent save the murmur of running electrical equipment for a considerable length of time. Chakwas could only watch as Mordin blinked and began to fully realize what he had said. His mouth fell into a frown and his head was held a little higher. He closed drew his lids over his eyes and took a deep breath in and let it out carefully.
"Have imprinted on Shepard."