Priority: First Aid
#8 of Mass Effect: Fear and Love in Omega
"Stop your squirming," said the krogan doctor as he tried to tug the bandage from Archer's cheek. The badly sunburned skin of his face made it all the harder.
"You should've kept your helmet on," said Vask from the opening of the medical tent. "I said you'd get burnt quickly."
"I wasn't exactly thinking straight at the time," snapped Archer as he used his casted arm to beat away the doctor's efforts to remove the bandage.
"You don't know any way to take it off without it hurting?"
"I do," said Vask walking up to him.
"And what's th-" Archer started to say but was cut off when Vask grabbed the bandage and ripped it off with a single quick motion.
"You fucking prick!" screamed Archer, slapping his uncasted hand to his face.
"It's not hurting as much now, is it?" asked Vask, taking a step away from Archer's reach.
"Bite me," snapper Archer.
Vask eventually walked closer to the upset human, when he had calmed down some, and gently pulled his hand away.
He gently stroked the small but thick scar on the human's face with a thumb.
"How bad is it?" Archer asked softly.
"No bigger than my thumb," said Vask.
He pulled his hand away and said, "I like it. It makes you look tough."
"I wasn't before?" asked Archer.
"You were, yes. But now you actually look the part," said Vask.
Archer gave an exaggerated scoff and walked past Vask and out the tent into the underground Urdnot capital.
He watched the festive ceremony where the Urdnots welcomed Vask into the clan. It looked closer to a riot, but Vask assured him that that's just how krogan celebrate.
"So, _Urdnot _Vask," Archer said when Vask joined him outside the tent to watch the festivities. "What now? Just head back to Omega and keep doing what we were doing?"
Vask was silent in thought.
"Though with you being a bit open about us," added Archer.
"I've been thinking," said Vask.
"Did it hurt?"
"Shut up," said Vask and then continued, "I've been thinking. Are you still against becoming a merc? You held your own pretty well against the klixen."
"Pretty well?" Archer laughed. "I got dropped by a small drop of their guts."
"But you killed most of them before that. Most non-krogan can't claim that." said Vask.
"And what about me breaking bones?" asked Archer. "Everytime I got into a life and death fight I ended up with a broken arm."
"You came out fine with batarians back during the Plague," Vask pointed out. "And you only broke your arm when you decided to punch a krogan. Me back in the Citadel, and Dinak yesterday."
"Won't I face a bunch of krogan if I became a merc?" asked Archer, "A lot of krogan are mercs."
"They have gene therapy that strengthens bones," said Vask before giving a coy smirk and nudging Archer with his elbow, "And you'll have me to protect you."
"Yeah," laughed Archer, "I can use you as a meat shield so you get shot instead of me."
"That's the spirit," Vask said with a deep, booming laugh, slapping the Archer's back, making the human stumble forward. "So I'll take that as a 'yes'."
"It's a 'I'll think about it'," Archer said, trying to shove the krogan but failed to move the alien an inch. "We'll talk about it another time."
"We're talking about it now," said Vask.
"Oh, so now you want to talk about things now and not later?" asked Archer, with a hint of annoyance. "Okay then. While we're at it. Why don't you explain to me properly what a krantt is? You still need to tell me what those examples were."
Vask gave a small growl of annoyance and was suddenly quiet.
"Well? You can't go 'We'll talk about it later' now," said Archer with a smug smile and making his voice mockingly deep to mimic Vask.
Vask still said nothing and Archer waved his casted arm to encourage him.
"Fine," Vask said with a growl. "A krantt is a warrior's most trusted ally. Someone who fights by their side and in their name for their honour and glory."
Archer nodded, "You told me that part. The examples?"
"Well," Vask cleared his throat, stumbling over his words slightly. "You defended my honour multiple times as a krantt before you even knew what one was."
"Like when?" asked Archer.
"Like back on the Citadel. When I couldn't do anything because of the fire," stammered Vask. "And yesterday with the klixen."
"Oh," Archer mumbled, feeling a stab of guilt for forcing Vask to bring those up.
"But," Vask said before shuffling on his feet. "Krogan don't really sleep with their krantts."
"What? We didn't break any taboo did we?" Archer asked, suddenly concerned. "No one mentioned anything about that. Dinak didn't seem to either, and he had a stick up his arse about that stuff. He seemed more concerned that you slept with a human instead of your krantt."
Vask shook his head, "There isn't."
"Then why bring it up?" asked Archer.
Vask tentatively grabbed Archer's hands, "Cause you're more than just my krantt."
"Your boyfriend." said Archer.
"No, y-" Vask said before Archer butted in.
"Excuse me?" Archer asked, annoyed and a touch angry that Vask seemed to be backtracking.
"Let me finish," Vask said firmly before continuing, his voice softening and starting to stammer again. "You're more than just my krantt. You're my mate."
He continued talking but the krogan's stumbling over his words made it difficult for Archer to understand. Eventually he managed to string together, "But you humans have another word for it."
Archer felt a swarm of butterflies take flight in his stomach. "Oh!"
He blushed, but it was hidden under his reddened sunburnt skin. He tried to find the words to reply but struggled, eventually saying, "You know, in my culture, I don't know about yours, but you typically ask your partner to be that first."
Vask leaned in close, touching his headplate to the human's forehead. Archer cringed when the bony plate touched his sunburnt skin.
Vask pulled away but stayed close, taking up Archer's entire vision. He cleared his throat and mumbled something under his breath.
"A little louder than that," Archer said with a soft laugh.
Vask shuffled on his feet before saying more clearly but meekly, "Do you want to be my mate?"
The swarm of butterflies in Archer's stomach intensified and he gave a quick nod, "Yes, I'd l-"
Vask interrupted him by taking him into his arms and kissing him in full view of the festivities.
The kiss lasted several moments before Vask eventually set Archer back down on the floor but kept him in a tight hug.
"That was unexpected," said Archer. "Aren't you worried that everyone can see?
Vask looked over at the festivities and then back to Archer, saying simply, "I don't care."