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One
"Kaid, you've seen Blasto movies, right?" Scott asked from his nest of sheets in their bed. He lay on his side, facing Kaidan, his eyes closed.
Kaidan blinked at him curiously, setting his data pad in his lap. He'd been so quiet the last twenty minutes or so that Kaidan had thought he'd fallen asleep. But it wasn't the first time a random thought made it past Scott's mouth before he thought better of it, so Kaidan supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised. Also, there was the fact that Scott already knew the answer to that question.
"Yeah, I watched them with you," he replied at length, studying his partner's serene face for any signs he was messing with him.
"First three? They're the best," Scott continued. He was utterly still except for the rise and fall of his chest and his moving lips.
Kaidan huffed, his eyebrows pinching together. "Scott, we watched them today. You insisted on a marathon, remember?"
He'd made such a production of the whole thing and had been so excited about it that Kaidan couldn't bring himself to tell Scott he really hated Blasto movies. So, they'd snuggled on the couch in their quarters, bowl of genuine popcorn on the table in front of them and watched three of the god-awful things back-to-back.
But even with the terrible films, it had been nice. Even though they shared quarters and lived together on a small starship, there wasn't always a lot of time for them to be alone and just in each other's company. Watching horrid films with Scott, listening to his infectious laughter as they cuddled on the couch made it worth it.
Scott made a snuffling noise, scooching closer to Kaidan's side of the bed. He threw a brawny arm over Kaidan's waist and nuzzled his face into Kaidan's skin. Kaidan smirked down at him; he was still endearing even when he didn't make a whole lot of sense. Then he heard the soft snore.
"Scott?"
No answer but a low snore that was almost a purr. Kaidan snorted. He shouldn't have been surprised to learn Scott talked in his sleep. Talking was one of his favorite hobbies, why should he quit just because he was unconscious?
Kaidan tossed the data pad on his end table, then burrowed under the covers until he was lying side by side with his partner. He maneuvered Scott's head into the crook of his shoulder, just where he liked it.
Being in love with Scott Ryder certainly wasn't boring.
Two
"Kaid, I cheated at poker with Gil," Scott mumbled.
Kaidan opened his eyes to the near pitch-black room, glancing down at the top of his partner's head, which was nestled in the crook of his shoulder. He had been in that fuzzy place between sleep and consciousness when Scott had spoken. Scott hadn't moved in several minutes; Kaidan was sure he was asleep.
"What?" was the only word his semi-awake brain could muster.
"Used SAM," Scott continued. "Felt kind of bad about it."
Kaidan blinked, adjusting his hold on Scott, sliding a hand down to the small of his back. His partner didn't move a muscle. Scott had mentioned a couple of times beating Gil at poker, which was apparently quite the feat. But he had never said anything about how.
"Ok," Kaidan replied at length, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "What brought this up, anyhow?"
"I'm a fraud," Scott muttered.
Kaidan snorted. "Don't be dramatic, Scott. It's poker. Besides, Gil could probably stand to be knocked down a couple of pegs."
The crew had played a few hands earlier that night. Gil had, as usual, wiped the floor with all of them, but joked that he wasn't quite ready for a repeat of the trouncing Scott had given him. Kaidan distinctly remembered glancing at his partner's face from his perch on Kaidan's lap, seeing a little flush start at his neck.
"Don't worry, sweetheart, your secret’s safe with me." Kaidan squeezed him a bit, and Scott offered up a soft snore in return.
Kaidan huffed. Of course. Leave it to Scott's brain to verbalize feelings of guilt in an unconscious state. Still, it could be fun to tease him about it in the morning.
Three
"Kaid, I saved that hamster's life," Scott declared, voice muffled as he had his face buried in Kaidan's thigh.
"Huh?" Kaidan replied, glancing down at his partner's head. They were situated on the couch in Scott's quarters, watching a documentary on 21st century Earth, when Scott had fallen asleep in Kaidan's lap. Kaidan knew the vid wasn't of interest to Scott, but he'd agreed to watch it anyway. Kaidan wasn't shocked that he'd fallen asleep twenty minutes into the thing.
"Told me to set it loose on Havarl." Scott shifted slightly, wrapping an arm more tightly around Kaidan's waist.
"Who did?" Kaidan glanced at the hamster's cage across the room, which seemed to grow bigger and bigger as time went on. Scott had moved it to a bigger cage three times already since they’d been together. It was only a matter of time before the hamster habitat took up half the room. Rex was living the good life, that was for sure.
"Kallo. Cora. Gil." Scott continued. "Drack wanted to eat him."
Kaidan was fairly sure Rex was a girl, but that was beside the point.
"You saved Rex's life," Kaidan agreed because that's what Scott needed to hear.
"I did."
Kaidan snorted, carding a hand through Scott's hair. "You big softie. I love that about you,"
From across the room, Rex squeaked in its cage, snuffling against the glass. From where he lay in Kaidan's lap, Scott snored softly. Kaidan huffed in amusement, settling back in the couch and turning his attention back to the documentary.
Four
"Kaid, I hate Sara's boyfriend," Scott said. His head was resting on Kaidan's armored shoulder, and Kaidan was sure he was going to have a crick in his neck later.
They had been on Meridian most of the day, following Sara around to a few different Remnant sites. Scott had insisted, mostly to keep an eye on her. The Remnant were typically tame nowadays, but occasionally, they would attack a passing by organic lifeform. After clearing this spot, Kaidan and Scott sat back against the Nomad while Sara did her thing, where Scott proceeded to fall asleep on Kaidan's shoulder in under five minutes flat.
The previous night, they had gone to dinner with Sara and her new boyfriend, a fellow scientist named Luka. There wasn't anything particularly interesting about him as far as Kaidan was concerned, but he hadn't set off any alarm bells, either. He was kind to Sara, polite to Kaidan, and seemed to take in stride the suspicious looks Scott gave him the entire night.
"Why?" Kaidan asked, shifting to cross his ankles. His ass was starting to fall asleep, but he didn't have the heart to move Scott.
"He's weird."
Kaidan snorted. "Weird. That's all you've got. He's an academic, sure, but that seems right up Sara's alley."
Scott grumbled a bit. "He hurts my sister, he disappears."
Kaidan huffed, rolling his eyes. "Ok, tough guy. We get it. Don't you think you're being a tad over-protective?"
Scott snorted in response, which broke off into a soft snore. Kaidan sighed, leaning his head back against the Nomad, thankful Sara hadn't been around to hear this one.
Five
"Kaid, fuck Tann," Scott offered.
"What?" Kaidan said, glancing back over his shoulder at his partner as he dried himself off with a fluffy white towel.
Scott had already crawled into bed, exhausted, and was fast asleep by the time Kaidan returned from the shower. He hadn't even bothered to burrow all the way under the covers, the off-white comforter resting just under the curve of his bare ass.
"Stick up his ass," Scott mumbled, his face buried in the pillow.
Kaidan hummed, tossing the towel in the hamper and sliding into bed next to his partner, throwing an arm over Scott's waist and snuggling close, sighing at the feel of bare flesh meeting.
"No one's arguing that point, sweetheart," Kaidan said, pressing a kiss to Scott's shoulder.
"Pull it out and beat him with it." Scott continued, and his handsome face scrunched up a bit.
Kaidan chuckled, carding his free hand through his partner's hair. Part of Scott's exhaustion from the day had come from the back and forth he had gotten into with Tann over the ever-changing role of the Pathfinder. Kaidan was immensely proud of Scott for sticking up for himself with Tann. It had been a long time coming.
"Scott, that's really fucking gross."
Scott shuffled a bit closer, one hand wandering down to rest on Kaidan's hip. Kaidan wasn't the least bit surprised with a soft snore was his partner's only response. Kaidan grinned, pulling the comforter up around both their shoulders.
One
"Kaid, the Initiative wants to give me a house," Scott whispered, voice muffled from where it was buried in the back of Kaidan's neck.
They were cocooned in the blankets of their bed, Scott spooning Kaidan from behind as he came down from a migraine.
Kaidan's brows pinched together. "What do you mean?"
"The new housing on Meridian. They're offering me first pick."
Kaidan hummed. A new housing development had recently been finished on Meridian, lakeside property that the colonists were already clambering to get a pick on. There were only a dozen units available so far, and the Initiative had been doing their best to be fair in their choosing of occupants. Still, it was no surprise that they would offer the Pathfinder first choice; they wouldn't have even found Meridian if it wasn't for him, after all.
"Are you going to take it?" Kaidan asked at length.
"Only if you want to," Scott mumbled, his warm breath fanning the back of Kaidan's neck, causing a shiver.
Kaidan huffed. "You asking me to move in with you, Scott? How about we talk about this when you're awake,"
Scott shifted slightly, fingertips drifting down to dance along Kaidan's hipbone. "I want us to get it together. It'll be ours, not mine,"
Kaidan pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, rolling over to face his partner. He met bright baby blues, crinkling at the corners as Scott grinned at him. Kaidan smiled back, slipping a hand to the small of Scott's back.
"You sure about this?" He whispered, eyes drifting over Scott's face.
Scott hummed, tangling his fingers in Kaidan's hair. "Never been more sure,"
Kaidan smirked, tracing lazy circles against the skin of Scott's back. "Let's do it, then."
Scott beamed, scooting closer to press himself against every inch of Kaidan that he could reach. He pulled Kaidan in for a kiss, keeping it light at first, teasing, until Kaidan demanded more, tracing his tongue against the seam of Scott's mouth.
They were both dizzy and a little breathless when they pulled apart, foreheads resting together. Kaidan's heart beat like a war drum in his chest, and Scott's seemed to mirror it. Kaidan grinned, pulling back enough to meet those gorgeous blue eyes.
"I love you,"
Scott smiled, that smile that drove Kaidan wild, made him feel at home.
"Love you too, Kaid,"