Follows the events of "Propeller Seeds," my first story. Feedback is how I LIVE, so feel free. Thanks for your support, and reading it. Yes, the title comes from Passion Pit's song.
Kaidan's mother smoothed down his dress blue uniform for possibly the fifth time. She sighed in exasperation. Beverly Alenko had aged very little since the last time Kaidan saw her, a couple weeks before the Reaper invasion, but the war had taken it's toll on her, despite her relatively uninvolved role. There were nervous ticks that hadn't quite gone away yet, and shadows crossed her eyes when she was left alone for too long with her thoughts.
"I can't get this damn collar to stay up straight," she fussed.
"I'm sure it looks fine, mom," he said, gently taking her hands.
"Kaidan Victor Alenko, you are an important person, one of the saviors of the galaxy, and you are marrying the first human Spectre in half an hour. You can't just look fine for the cameras."
Kaidan rolled his eyes, a rather juvenile response to the irritating concessions they'd been forced to make in deference to both of their roles in galactic events.
"Well, if my mother can't get my collar to stand up straight, I'm just going to have to tell them whose fault that is, and won't your face be red?"
She pursed her lips at his needling, fussed with it one more time, then announced that it would have to do. She patted his cheek tearfully, then turned to leave the room. As she opened the door, she squeaked, and there was the low thud of something hitting a wall gently.
"You can't see him for thirty minutes! It's bad luck!"
"I've died twice, Mrs Alenko. Really, how much worse could my luck get?"
"I don't know, but I'm not willing to test it, are you?"
"You've got to stop saying that," Kaidan called through the door. "You didn't actually die the second time."
"You weren't there, how do you know?"
With that, she slammed the door. Kaidan checked behind her to see if Shepard had snuck in, but he was in there alone, dress blues wrinkle-free and freshly cleaned. He looked at himself in the mirror, somewhat surprised by his own reflection. He'd come to terms with the gray at his temples, Shepard liked it, so Kaidan hadn't found the energy to dye it or do anything with it. The dress blues, while not a common sight, were still familiar enough. What he found surprising was that his hair was straightened again. After the months of Atlanta humidity, Kaidan had grown to like his curls, something he hadn't been able to do as a child or teenager. The curls were another thing Shepard liked. Perhaps, he mused, that was the true miracle of love. You began to accept the things you hated about yourself, because your partner found them to be some of the most interesting things about you. You started to see yourself through someone else's eyes, and just maybe begin to see what they like.
He shook his head, clearing the sap from his thoughts, and moved to the door. It was time, now, to make formal the little promises he and Nathan had made every day since that lunch at Apollo's Café on the Presidium. The thought brought a small smile to Kaidan's lips. He'd often mused about how small and ineffectual language was at conveying concepts like love, and Shepard had told him he thought too much. Which was probably true.
Kaidan often thought too much, and he by trying to plan things, get them just right, say things at the right moment, he was never as good with romantic gestures as Shepard was with his spontaneous slow dances, or things like having blue roses in the kitchen when Kaidan came back from a meeting or the grocery store, simply because he knew they were Kaidan's favorite.
#
The music started, and Kaidan and Shepard walked toward the center of the room from different sides. Their friends, family, and distinguished guests were there, seated in concentric circles around a raised dais, upon which Admiral Hackett stood. One aisle bisected the room, for each groom's approach. Kaidan caught sight of Shepard for the first time today, and his chest tightened. Even now, after a year together, exploring each other body and soul, the man still had that effect on him. Kaidan believed he always would.
As they each closed in on the dais, Shepard winked at Kaidan, and as they stood in the center of the dais, before Hackett could speak, Shepard raised his hands, asking for the attention they were already getting.
"Ladies and gentlemen, friends, family, and 'other', I'd like to ask your indulgence for a moment."
Kaidan supposed he should have expected something, so he merely quirked an eyebrow at Shepard in askance.
"You see, when I proposed to Spectre Major Kaidan Victor Alenko, I was about to be put in a coma, and so I didn't have time to give him a decent proposal. Something which my mother has never let me forget," he said as he bowed cheekily in her direction. "I'd like to take a moment to correct that."
Kaidan gasped, somewhat embarrassed, somewhat choked up. "I already said yes!"
The assembled guests laughed, but Shepard was not to be deterred.
"Kaidan Alenko, for over four years, you have served by my side. You have been my friend, brother-in-arms, confidante, and lover. You are my compass and conscience. Every day, I have watched the love in your eyes grow, and I hope that you have seen the same in my eyes. As time goes on, I can't remember a life without you, and I can't dream of a future without you at my side." He kneeled, to Kaidan's surprise. "I want to start a family with you, and grow old together, and maybe save the galaxy a time or two more. Will you please marry me? Today, if possible?"
Kaidan chuckled, but found he could't talk. His throat closed with emotion, he was forced to nod his head and whisper a shaky "yes." Shepard looked up at Kaidan and gave him His Smile, then took his hand and stood, facing the admiral, who cleared his throat and dashed surreptitiously at his eyes. Kaidan heard a few sniffles from the guests.
It was a fairly straightforward ceremony, and they pledged their lives to each other and spoke words that bound them to each other in all the ways they weren't already. A huge roar erupted from the crowd as they gave their first kiss as a married couple, and, taking each other's hand, they walked down the aisle and out to the courtyard to their reception.
Everyone invited was there. Kaidan spent time with everyone, hopping around from cluster of people to cluster of people, and finally met "Felicia Hannigan," who told him she'd once been Shepard's yeoman, back when the Normandy had been a Cerberus vessel, and Kaidan realized she'd been Kelly Chambers back then. She explained that she'd been working on the Citadel prior to the Cerberus coup and Shepard had told her to change her identity. She'd thought it might be foolish to come to Shepard's wedding, in case someone was looking for her, but the counselor in her had wanted to meet Kaidan.
"Besides," she said teasingly. "Everyone on the Normandy thought that Shepard and I had a thing going, I wanted to meet the guy that snagged him!"
"And did you have a thing going," Kaidan asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Nope. He invited me up, we had dinner, and talked about you." She toasted him with her glass of champagne, then leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Congratulations, Major. Every woman in this room hates you right now!" She pulled back and smiled at him to let him know she was half-teasing.
"You have no idea," he said as he sipped his own champagne, smiling around the glass. At that moment, Shepard appeared at his elbow, nodded in recognition at Felicia/Kelly, and whirled Kaidan onto the dance floor for a nice slow number. Kaidan had it on good authority that Jack had arranged for a guest to keep Shepard occupied during the fast numbers so he wouldn't be embarrassed at his own wedding, but the slow numbers were ok.
Kaidan wrapped his arms around Shepard's neck and swayed with him.
#
After the speeches, some beautiful, some horrible, and some (particularly one by Kahlee Sanders) so full of emotion that even Kaidan was having trouble, they made a graceful, if not entirely discreet (thanks to Garrus) exit. The pawing started in the cab ride back to the hotel. The kissing started, awkwardly, as they walked across the lobby to the elevator. The biting began around the fourth floor.
By the time the elevator doors opened onto the honeymoon suite and they spilled into the foyer, both their dress blues were spread open, revealing the expanses of muscles underneath, Kaidan's belt was undone, and his pants and briefs were just barely covering his ass. Shepard pressed his palm to the security plate as he bit at Kaidan's bottom lip and Kaidan whimpered. He wanted Nathan in him, now, and the desire was painful. He stuck his hand down Shepard's pants and wrapped his fingers around Shepard's cock, eliciting a growl from the other man.
The door slid open and Shepard pulled Kaidan in, dropping to his knees and swallowing Kaidan's entire length before the door slid shut. Kaidan shouted out and carded his fingers through Shepard's hair as the other man moaned around a very full mouth. Shepard reached up and began rolling Kaidan's balls in his palm, causing Kaidan's knees to buckle. Kaidan caught himself on Shepard's shoulders before he fell over.
"Nathan... I want you in me. Please," he begged.
Shepard growled as Kaidan's words made the desire curl in his belly. He stood, and, so fast it seemed like one motion, he had his clothes off, standing before Kaidan hard and naked. He pulled the offending material off Kaidan as well, then slammed Kaidan up against a support wall over by the balcony.
"Yes," Kaidan cried.
"Stay there," Shepard commanded, "do not touch yourself."
Kaidan whimpered.
Shepard padded into the bedroom where their luggage was, his hard penis bouncing around comically as he walked. He procured the lube he'd been looking for and stalked back over to Kaidan, who hadn't been entirely successful at following orders. He was rubbing his tummy and watching Shepard with darkened eyes, his hands starting to go lower as Shepard got closer. Shepard growled again as he ground his erection against Kaidan's thigh, grabbing the back of Kaidan's head and kissing him roughly.
Without warning, Shepard grabbed Kaidan's wrists and spun him around so he was facing the wall, then pinned his hands above his head. Shepard poured some lube directly on his cock, then dropped the tube to spread it around and then spread some on Kaidan's ass. Lining his cock up with Kaidan's entrance, Shepard bit down on that spot between Kaidan's shoulders at the base of his neck as he pushed past the tight ring of muscle. Kaidan cried out from the pain/pleasure combination, throwing his head back to rest it on Shepard's shoulder, not caring about the strain on his outstretched arms.
"Move, Nathan. Please!"
Shepard took half a second to get back in control of himself. Kaidan's muscles, moans, and pleas were formidable opponents to his self-control, and Shepard didn't want this to be over quickly. Kaidan moaned, low and wanton as Shepard took his first stroke. He took his time, using slow, deliberate thrusts that almost had him pulling out, then slowly plunging in until he was completely sheathed in Kaidan. Kaidan pushed back to meet every thrust, rolling his hips with the sensations, electricity shooting through his body as his prostate got rubbed.
"Shepard, my hands... I need..." He couldn't get his words out.
"Not yet. Don't cum yet, baby. I'm not ready for this to be over yet," he said, slamming home to emphasize his point. Kaidan clamped down on Shepard's cock inside him, causing Shepard to yell wordlessly.
Control be damned, Shepard thought to himself as he picked up the pace, dropping Kaidan's hands to place his hands on Kaidan's shoulder and hip for leverage. He saw Kaidan's arm move as he stroked himself furiously, helpless as the pleasure wracked through his body, and the knowledge of what that hand was doing caused Shepard's groin to cramp. Shepard saw Kaidan's muscles begin to quiver, felt him tighten around Shepard's cock as his orgasm tore through him.
"Don't stop," Kaidan said, pushing back onto Shepard, shimmying his hips as he did so.
Shepard didn't last much longer, despite his earlier command. Quick strokes and Kaidan's encouragement sending him over the edge, he clutched at Kaidan as his world spun away from him.