Shepard frowned at the suspicious-looking yellow mass on his plate. Kaidan rarely cooked - with good reason - but it was some kind of a national holiday and he had insisted on making "'macaroni and cheese, it's what my dad made for us every Canada Day" and Riley had acquiesced, he didn't like saying 'no' to Kaidan - not after what he'd made him go through with him almost-dying and all that.

So here they were, Kaidan wearing an apron and a proud smile and Riley trying to find the courage to stab the gelatinous mass with his fork and eat it. Damn it, he'd faced banshees for crying out loud, he was the fucking hero of the fucking galaxy and he couldn't pick up the courage to eat something his boyfriend cooked?

"Is it alright? Did I put enough salt in it? Maybe I should have left out the cheddar…I should have, shouldn't I?" Kaidan babbled with increasing nervousness, twisting the tea towel in his hands as he waited for Shepard to say something - anything.

With some trepidation he took a mouthful, then another, suddenly pleasantly surprised at the taste. "It's good baby, wow - really good!" he managed between mouthfuls, he wasn't altogether lying either. It was tasty, but not something he would want to eat every day, maybe once a year on a special day, it would make Kaidan happy.