A/N: Teeny tiny little ficlet. Out of the blue, but I daydream and feels happen, and feels need to be shared. nwn; Hope you enjoy!
Fliiiiiick!
The kitchen was suddenly filled with the warm glow of the flushmount lights on the ceiling, frosted glass to make things bright enough, but still comfortable and homey, all the same. The problem was, Shepard had been using the incandescent light from the refrigerator to light his way across the kitchen, milk carton in hand, taking the occasional sip as his free hand sloppily put together a sandwich, for a reason.
A reason that seemed irrelevant at the moment. The open flaps of the milk carton were currently to his lips, the cold liquid pouring into his mouth. He didn't dare swallow, instead he lowered the carton, neck slowly craning to the side, making eye contact with who he already knew stood in the doorway. Arms folded tightly across his chest, normally styled black hair in tousled mess, torso bare and feet bare, but navy blue plaid pajama bottoms covering his legs.
"Shepard…" Kaidan said, just a hint of frustration in his voice.
Shepard swallowed, the milk suddenly weighing thick in his mouth. "Alenko," he remarked, gaze adverting back to the fridge, which he closed with the back of his heel.
"John." Kaidan said once more, this time with a bit more force.
"Kaidan…trust me, I know how this looks," Shepard said, holding the quart of milk. He could feel a few droplets on the corner of his mouth, clinging to the stubble near his lips, but he refused to reach up and wipe them away. That would just be admitting defeat.
"It looks to me like you're drinking out of the carton. Again." Kaidan's arm unfolded, and he took a large step into the kitchen, shivering as bare feet met the cold linoleum, but that didn't seem to put a falter on anything. He arched a thick brow, almost daring him.
"I've been framed, all right? I was pouring myself a nice bowl of Cosmix, you just happened to walk in at the wrong possible time." Shepard thought a moment, shifting on his feet, realizing that there was a sandwich on the island, not a bowl. So he tried a different approach. "I saved the galaxy, you know. Multiple times."
"I know that's extremely unsanitary." Kaidan countered quickly, eyes switching from his face to the carton and then back again.
Then there was a slight pull, and Shepard almost whined that it wasn't fair for him to use his biotics during their little 'domestics'. He would even go as far as apologizing and promising never to do it again, even though they both knew he would be caught in the act yet again, the next morning. So instead, he bit his lip, clearing his throat as he used his own powers to bring it back to him.
"To be fair," Shepard reached out, snatching the carton out of the air before setting it down on the island. "You do know where my mouth has been." He retorted, tone matter-of-fact.
Kaidan's frown twitched at the corners, quite obviously doing his very best to fight back a grin.
Shepard 1, Alenko 0.
Then he was reaching out again, and the milk carton lifted from the countertop and was suddenly in Kaidan's hand, and Shepard couldn't help but to grin when he took a swig of it himself. After all, he knew exactly where Kaidan's mouth had been, too.