Shepard sighed, letting her fingers trail down Kaidan's bicep. He lay half-curled around her, one leg between hers, his hand on her waist as if he couldn't bear to let her go for a moment, even in sleep.
She smiled; she'd missed this. Missed him, for so long. Her fingers explored his chest, taking the time, now that he dozed, to catalogue every bit of him that she loved so much. Fingers splayed on his strong chest, then drifted lower, feeling the quiet strength in his stomach muscles, then over to his thigh, slung over hers. She continued her exploration back up, lightly grazing her nails up his side, back over his arm—my god, those arms—and finally rested her hand on his cheek.
He looks so peaceful. But so tired. They'd all been tired, lately. The war had taken it out of them. And still, Kaidan was here, with her, and a touch of soreness reminded her that he still had some energy to spare, for her. Her hand slipped back a little, running two fingers over the few silver hairs that were starting to come in at his temple. She didn't know why she found them so damn sexy, but she did. Maybe it was just him.
"See something you like, Commander?"
"Kaidan!" She half-laughed, pulling her hand back. "How long have you been awake?" She pushed his shoulder playfully; he only smiled and drew her closer, pulling her against his length.
"You looked content. I want to watch you for a bit." He grinned, then.
"Plus, it doesn't hurt knowing that it was me who put that look on your face."
"Don't be smug," Shepard replied. "I seem to recall some pretty goofy looks you made tonight, too."
"Oh, that does it." Kaidan rolled, pinning her under him in one smooth motion. One hand buried itself in her hair as her kissed her, deeply.
She moaned into his mouth, one leg wrapping around his waist. "I don't know about you, Kaidan, but I think I'm pretty tapped out for the night."
Kaidan groaned, but didn't move. "Yeah, me too." He cupped her face, his thumb running gentle circles on her cheek. "It's okay, though. We've got time. Years and years of time, once we get Earth back. I'm going to show you where I grew up, as soon as the war's done."
Shepard smiled again; she'd been doing a lot of that recently; it felt almost strange, a formerly foreign expression becoming familiar.
"I missed you," Kaidan said. His chocolate eyes stared at her, seeming to will her to understand the depth of his words.
"I missed you, too," she whispered.