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When he walked through the doors into Starboard Observation, the first thing he noticed were the dimmed lights. The second thing he noticed was that Kaidan was, at first, nowhere to be seen.
"Kaidan?"
"Here."
He took a few steps into the room and spotted Kaidan's form curled up on one of the sofas, his back facing the window. His fingers were at his temples, and his eyes shut.
"You okay?" Shepard asked.
"I'll be fine," Kaidan said, yet he didn't move from his position. "I just need a few minutes."
Shepard took a seat beside him. Almost instinctively he reached a hand down to Kaidan's hair and started to gently massage his scalp, careful not to touch the amp port at the back of his neck. A heavy sigh filled the room. Leaning back, Shepard's attention drifted to the stars beyond the glass in front of them.
He knew not to talk too much whenever one of Kaidan's migraines hit. Hectic workday like theirs, they valued the few moments of silence they managed to get. The best distraction he could offer was a physical one – simply being in the room, being close to him, while it didn't relieve the pain it certainly made enduring it a little easier. The migraines had never prevented Kaidan from doing his duty, yet Shepard couldn't help but wonder at how many times they had hit during a ground mission, how many times Kaidan must have kept his mouth shut and ignored the pain in order to get the job done. Too many, if he knew the man right.
"Bad one this time," Kaidan said.
"Hmm," Shepard said. His fingers had moved on to absentmindedly play with his lover's curls. "Want me to get you anything?"
"No. Stay for a while. Painkillers haven't kicked in yet."
"Sure."
Kaidan turned over to lie on his back, propping his head onto Shepard's thigh. His eyes stayed shut as Shepard moved his hand down to Kaidan's shoulder and collarbone, thumb tracing small cirles over the fabric of his fatigues. It got a smile out of him, at least, and he opened his eyes to look into Shepard's own.
Two weeks had gone by since their dinner on the Citadel, yet it felt much shorter. It felt like they were in the process of getting to know each other all over again, as if they had been handed blank sheets, after years of dancing around each other and misunderstandings. Now, the thrill Shepard felt in his chest whenever Kaidan's walked into a room, the fact that he could simply reach out to him at any time to place a hand at the small of his back, it made Horizon feel like ancient history. They had managed to find their way to each other despite everything, and while Shepard could hardly believe it sometimes, words failed to describe how grateful and lucky he felt, and how happy Kaidan made him.
"You look like you're miles away," Kaidan said, clearly amused.
Shepard smiled back, and leaned down to place a light kiss on Kaidan's lips. "Just thinking," he said.
"Hopefully not about the war."
"No," Shepard said. "Surprisingly not."
"Glad to see that my suffering provides some distraction," Kaidan chuckled. He lifted one of his hands and placed it over Shepard's. A small gesture of affection, something they were getting more and more used to each day.
"Feel any better?" Shepard asked.
"A little," Kaidan said. "You have that effect on me."
"Then I better not leave anytime soon," Shepard said. Their fingers interlaced.