Red had always been her favorite color, even before joining the gang.
She had thought it stupid, to place so much significance on a color, but that didn't stop her from wearing some shade of red every day. Cloaked in shades of crimson, she had felt invincible. Bold, assertive, dangerous, it was her color. She was red.
For a long time, she was red. And then, after Nick, after the Reds, she was muted.
She hadn't given much thought to finding a new favorite color until Kaidan.
She first noticed her love of blue creep in back on the SR1. The electric blue of biotics, eezo that saved her life in more ways than one. Navy Alliance blue that offered more stability than she had ever known. Royal blue flecks of energy within amber eyes, a mixture of fire and ice that she had been unable to resist.
Blue suited him; sensitive, loyal, wise. He was blue.
Where she was all fire and rage, engulfing everything that crossed her path, he was balance and sincerity, a pool of serenity lapping against shores of lava.
So much had changed over the last few years, but that much remained true.
Now, her cabin awash in cool pacific blue, patterns of water danced across Kaidan's features; shadows exaggerated the sharp point of his nose, the shallow cleft of his chin, the wide set of his jaw. He was too busy with his report to notice her watching from behind a datapad of her own, admiring how he had aged. From the extra pounds of muscle to the faint greying at his temples, he wore it well. He reached to scratch at the scruff on his jaw absentmindedly and Shepard smiled; the beginnings of a beard was her personal favorite addition.
Swiftly, silently, Shepard rose to her feet, abandoned her datapad, padded across the cool tile floor to where Kaidan sat, still absolved in his work. Delicately, she plucked the device from his grasp, drawing his gaze as she placed the pad on the short table behind her.
He watched her intently, maple eyes gleaming with curiosity as they always did. Shepard flushed with heat under his stare, that same stare that never failed to make her heart beat faster. She smiled coyly as she settled herself onto his lap, straddling him.
"Time for a break, Major."
Kaidan's hands found their way to her hips, his thumbs settling in the crease of her thighs; the gentle pressure enough to send a dizzying ripple of arousal through her system.
"I'm surprised you lasted this long, Shepard. I haven't seen you sit still that long since, well, uh..." He breathed a chuckle, deep and rasping. "you know, I've never seen you in one spot so long."
She felt his words more than she heard them; she had leaned in, her forehead nearly pressed against his and his breath was warm against her lips. His chest vibrated against her palms, her hands slowly exploring the thick plateaus of muscle beneath her fingertips.
"And now I have all this pent up energy." She said through a grin.
She dipped her head, claimed his mouth with her own. His lips were soft, warm, against hers as she savored the depth of the kiss. Their lips moved slowly, though not for lack of passion. Affection bloomed in her chest, a pressure building against her ribs so strongly she worried they might crack. She sighed heavily into the kiss, a smile creeping it's way across her lips, and she pulled away, her palms spread wide against his chest for support.
A haze of lust had settled over Kaidan's eyes, his lips still parted, a silent plea for her to return to him. Her hands moved from his chest to the sides of his neck, her thumbs gently rubbing the line of his jaw, the stubble there scratching the tips of her thumbs. God damn, he looks good with a beard.
She scanned his face, taking in every minute detail. One by one, she placed kisses on the three moles above his right brow. She kissed her way down the side of his face, nibbled her way along his jaw, brushed her lips against the most prominent scar below his bottom lip.
Kaidan's breathing grew more shallow beneath her, coming in short, open-mouthed rasps. She persisted. She made her way along the opposite side of his jaw, delighted in the scratch of his beard against her lips, until she reached his ear. Gently, she took his earlobe between her teeth, tugging gently before releasing it and dipping to the crease just below his jawline. A well placed bite and Kaidan inhaled sharply, his chest jutting forward, his head falling to the side to allow her greater access to the sensitive area.
Shepard smiled against his neck. She took her time exploring his neck, from collar bone to jawline, alternating between tender kisses and grazes of her teeth. Her hands returned to his chest, clutched at the fabric of his t-shirt. She could feel his biotics humming just beneath his flesh, an electrifying tingle against her fingertips.
When his breath became ragged, his hands clutched her hips tightly, she pulled back again and took his mouth with hers. She sucked his bottom lip between her teeth and bit down carefully, pulling back and bringing his lip with her.
Kaidan groaned against her, thrust his hips upward, and he flared. A brilliant azure sheen covered his body, wisps of biotic energy rolled off of him, brought every hair on her body to stand on end. A devilish grin stretched across her lips as she withdrew, eager to take in the sight.
Desire was plain on his face, eyes heavily lidded with hunger searched for understanding.
All she could do was smile. Smile at the way his golden eyes were alive with his biotics, the way her body reacted in turn, jolts of energy shooting between their skin wherever they made contact.
Her heart was a balloon ready to burst. She felt her eyes grow heavy and watched as concern flashed across Kaidan's eyes, his eyebrows crinkling ever so slightly, no doubt having noticed the way her eyes glistened.
He opened his mouth to speak, but she caught his words with a kiss. She didn't want to talk, she wanted to feel him, all of him. She wanted to memorize every inch of his face, so that no matter what happened, she could always take him with her.
More than anything, she wanted to stay there, wrapped up in his cerulean embrace until the end of time.