-1.1

CSV Normandy SR-3, Eden Prime

Mon, Jun 18, 2187 (11 1/2 months after Crucible Day, 3 weeks after marriage/the end of A Longer Haul)

-1.1

Arms crossed, a look of consternation on his face, Kaidan Alenko looked out the forward viewport of the Normandy SR-3 at the garden world below.

"What are we doing here?" he asked, sounding frustrated "The fight is out there. Millions of lives in the balance, and we're sight-seeing? " He turned and looked urgently at Shepard, leaning to his side against the frame of the open cockpit door behind them. "We have to get to Palaven! Or Tuchunka... or Earth... or... wherever, I don't know- where do you suppose the fight would be if anyone were fighting?"

Hadrian and the other bridge crew smiled at the theatrics- a couple even offered amused applause- and the commander shrugged. "Hard to say. But that was good. Sounded very earnest, you almost had me believing there was trouble somewhere."

"Indeed," EDI said from the co-pilot's seat, "before you dissembled with regards to the location, you were quite convincing. Afterwards, it became clear that you were making a joke."

Kaidan made a face, clearly appreciating the critique less than EDI had appreciated his mock seriousness. "Thanks, EDI, when you put it that way... Sheesh... Ah well, at least if the Council decides they don't need Spectres anymore- what with everyone getting along now- maybe I can get into acting."

"Or stand-up comedy," Joker offered sarcastically.

"It isn't too late to make that movie I suggested that time," Shepard's smile flashed something sly and he winked. "We're still young and hot."

"OH, hey, look at that, it's Eden Prime!" Joker interrupted, pointing out the viewport, trying to change the subject. "I bet you guys will be wanting to stop flirting and start the mission right away, right?" There was muted laughter around the CIC as everyone carried on with their work. In the week and a half since they'd set out from Earth on their maiden voyage, the crew was quickly becoming accustomed to a more casual environment than they might have been used to. The newlywed Spectres had decided to set a new tone for their new command together in a changed galaxy- 'our ship, life's short, so relax a bit.'

"Suppose so," Shepard said, relenting. "Lots of refugees out there on wrecked worlds still looking for somewhere nice to re-settle. Let's see about arranging some real-estate for them." He and Kaidan turned and marched purposefully up the walkway past the bridge stations on to the CIC-proper, rounding the triangular main console, and Hadrian mounted the handful of steps and take his seat on the raised section over the central holo projector. "Nymandra, open a channel to the colony please."

Normandy's newest communications officer, an asari assigned to the Project Phoenix Flight officer pool following the destruction of her ship in the battle for Earth, began signalling the colony's capital from her console to Shepard's left. The new ship's science officer, a salarian named Pardik Hallis, approached Shepard with a datapad.

"One especially promising site for expansion west of the existing centre," Hallis suggested. He tapped the pad, swiped his fingers toward the main holo projector, and the display came alive with a 3D map of the surface. "Construction of one additional power plant and some prefabricated housing, enrichment of agricultural land to south, area could support an additional population of two thousand initially. Skilled workers could develop infrastructure for subsequent waves of immigration."

"I have an administrator Thomas Copeland, in the capital city of Gardener, Commander," Tebeus announced.

"Comms centre, please, Lieutenant. Kaidan?" Hade patted his chair as he got up to leave the command centre, and Alenko moved to take his place.

"While you've got them, ask the concierge if the honeymoon suite is available," Kaidan quipped after him.

"Everyone have your bags packed, after the survey and the negotiation's complete we're spending a few days before we head to Rannoch. Post-war R&R, that's an order," Shepard announced.

Having delivered a server of geth programs from the Crucible Day fleet to the turian shipyards at Aephis, to get them started on the fleet modernization program intended to incorporate conduit drives into existing ships across Council space, their next assignment was to deliver a QEC system to the quarian homeworld. Reclaimed just weeks before Earth was, most of the quarian population and billions of geth had been isolated there since the relay network collapse, and in return for the entangler Normandy was to pick up and transport another geth server and some physical platforms from Rannoch and ferry them back to Earth for Project Phoenix Flight.

Kaidan and Shepard had both been looking forward to re-visiting the quarian homeworld to see how much of the reported progress they'd made with the geth's help during the months after Crucible Day and before the Council started commissioning conduit drive capable ships to start restoring interstellar infrastructure. And they had some 'real estate' of their own to stake out- the Admiralty Board had promised them some land for a home away from home in gratitude for the commander's pivotal role in resolving their war for the planet.

They were milk runs. Errands. Not exactly leisurely affairs, because they would make life better for people who were still suffering the Reaper War's after-effects, but not urgent. Seconds didn't cost them lives. It was a new galaxy, and so far they were relishing it.

-X

Three hours later

-X

Hadrian and Kaidan stepped lightly into the penthouse of Gardener's prime hotel, Original Oasis.

"What can I say, nobody can say no to me. I'm irresistible," Shepard laughed, walking backwards, hands raised in a mock conciliatory gesture.

"I suppose saving civilization twice will have that effect," Kaidan said, sliding his jacket off and draping it over the back of a chair in the foyer. "Just don't get cocky. If you think like that then sooner or later you're going to ask somebody for too much and they're gonna turn you down."

"Ahh, don't bust my bubble. Let reality kick in on its own schedule. Until then... want to get 'cocky' with me, husband?" Shepard grinned wickedly and tugged Kaidan by his belt toward the picture window overlooking the city's main promenade. "It isn't the observation lounge window, but..."

"You just won't be satisfied until we get caught, will you? Were you always such an exhibitionist and I just never noticed?" Kaidan shook his head and sighed, smiling.

"The two of us together makes me feel... bigger. Expansive, like I could bust out of my skin. And like you said one time, I want the whole galaxy to know. I want to show us off to everyone. I want 'em all to see how happy you make me. Maybe it'll give them a lift, too." Hadrian hooked his finger in Kaidan's belt loop, holding him close, and leaned with his arm over his head against the window frame and looked down on the people coming and going below. "They could certainly use some good news, after everything they've been through."

Kaidan put his arm around Shepard's waist and leaned into him. "Yeah... well, at least everybody's been getting along. People who can feel each others' pain all seem to prefer to talk rather than tussle and share rather than shoot."

"It's so weird," Hadrian said, shaking his head. "You know it's been six weeks since anyone pointed a gun at me? I think that's a record." It took a moment for Kaidan to process- again- that, after a fashion, Shepard- this Shepard- was only six weeks old, the 'reincarnation' of his Hadrian via the assimilation of his genetic identity and encoded memories by a 2,000 year old adori 50,000 years 'out of time.' As far as he was concerned, everything that had happened since the morning of the Normandy's raid on Cerberus' headquarters- nearly a year's worth of time- was a second-hand story. Including Shepard's own actions on Earth that day that changed everything.

"You were in custody on Earth for four months before the invasion," Kaidan said, trying to direct the conversation toward some common frame of reference.

"And every guard carried a gun. Which they occasionally had to point at me... when I asked for too much." Hadrian chuckled, actually sounding a touch nostalgic.

"What's really weird is not having fired a gun in almost a year, outside of the range I mean... Peace is weird." Kaidan looked to Shepard and smiled. "Good weird, though."

"I wish I could take all the credit." Hadrian looked down at his hand, then raised it to his mouth and bit at the corner of his thumb idly. "But, you know... that's still his."

It was unusual, and frankly jarring, to hear Hade mention his 'predecessor,' who lived and died- then lived, and died again, technically. He'd been warned by the other adori he'd met, Satteveh, that such moments would come up where he'd be reminded that the man he was with was not- and had come to know that he was not- the original. But then, he had thought about the discrepancy himself just moments earlier, and the synthempathic connection the two had forged over the past few weeks had grown strong enough that even when they weren't focusing on it, they still seemed subliminally 'tuned in' to each other. Now Kaidan thought of another of those moment's he'd had with 'the original' Shepard, on Cronos station, one of the ones his resurrection wouldn't remember.

"You're Shepard enough for me," he said. He took Hadrian's hand and started drawing him back toward the bed, eliciting a smile. When they reached it, Kaidan rotated their bodies and gently pushed Hadrian backwards onto the bed, climbing on top, straddling the vanguard and leaning down to kiss him. When he sat upright again, he reached between their pressed-together pelvises to slowly start undoing Shepard's belt and pants.

"Hard to believe it was only a couple years ago and a few miles from here that everything started for us- the prothean beacon and Saren and those heretic geth." Shepard smirked and slid his hands up Kaidan's t-shirt, squeezing his pectorals. "Remember how skinny you were back then, compared to now?" he laughed.

"My responsibilities got bigger. I hit the gym to keep up," Kaidan smiled, then flexed his chest a bit under Hadrian's hands. Shepard bit his lip and growled approvingly, then turned his hands over and reached up the grip the t-shirt's collar from the inside. Kaidan slapped his hands. "No- do not tear another of my shirts," he said sternly. There was a mischievous twinkle in Hadrian's eye.

"Ooh, y'know I kinda get a kick out of you giving me orders like that."

"Mmhmm, I can feel the 'kick' you're getting out of it." Alenko leaned down again, Shepard pulling the t-shirt up over Kaidan's head in the process, and their mouths found each other again. Now, I recall you saying something about us getting it on here?

'I believe I more accurately said I wanted to fuck you here.'

'Well, then, we'll need to get rid of these.' Kaidan gently bit Hadrian's lower lip, got up again, and shimmied off the foot of the bed. Smiling, Hadrian pulled off his shirt and then draped his husband's t-shirt over his face, inhaling Kaidan's scent from it and curling his left arm above his head while the sentinel pulled off Shepard's boots and then his pants, revealing his 'tenting' black boxerbriefs. Eyeing the growing bulge and watching Hadrian start groping and tugging at it with his right hand, Kaidan licked his lips and stripped off the rest of his own clothes. Once he stood fully exposed, he hurried to fish their 'supplies' out of his travel bag before setting them on the bed and climbing back on top of Hadrian's knees. He put his hand over Shepard's, helping to stroke him through his underwear. Hadrian groaned and started writhing excitedly.

"Are you wearing a different cologne?" came Shepard's breathless voice from under his t-shirt. "This is sort of like... vanilla and brown sugar"

"You like it?" Kaidan asked, and squeezed Shepard's hard-on a bit tighter, rubbing his stomach with the other hand.

"Mmmnnhh- I love the sort of apple pie smelling stuff you normally have on, the Radian? But this is nice too. Aww man... okay- off- need these off." Hadrian tried to remove his shorts but Kaidan kept their hands clasped together, sliding up and down, drawing him closer to climax. Hade groaned and then whimpered a little. "Nnnhh- s-stop... I- I want to..."

Kaidan chuckled and relented, pulling Shepard's hand off and holding it pinned to the bed at his side. When Hadrian reached down with his free hand Kaidan intercepted it and held it to the other side, then, grinning, he leaned down and kissed Shepard's waist, traced the muscular line where his abs met his obliques with his nose. Finally he nuzzled his face against the bulge in his husband's shorts, and pressed his lips to the waistband to tug them down with his teeth.

"Oooh god," Shepard moaned as they slid down little by little. He wriggled his right hand out of Kaidan's grip and put it on Alenko's head, running his fingers through his hair and pulling his face closer, gasping at the sensation of Kaidan's breath hot against his groin.

Once he'd exposed Shepard's throbbing hard-on, Kaidan squeezed his hand under Hadrian's hip and firm, flexing cheeks, grabbed his boxer-briefs from the back and pulled them down entirely. The two felt each other's quickening arousal through their wireless connection, like snowballs racing side-by-side down a slope, growing and accelerating together, trading material where they touched.

As Kaidan positioned himself astride Hadrian's pelvis and reached back to get him 'geared up,' Shepard's hands found his hips and rubbed them eagerly. One hand wandered inward, wrapping around Kaidan's own erection and starting to stroke it, sending a dizzying wave of pleasure up Alenko's spine. He struggled to concentrate on applying the lubrication between them, then finally collapsed forward, nuzzling their foreheads together through his t-shirt that was still laid over Hadrian's face like a veil. He saw it puffing up over Shepard's mouth with excited panting, and used his free hand to fold it up, exposing the commander's lips but leaving it over his nose and eyes like a blindfold.

"Mmmhh- where did you get it anyway?" Shepard panted, breathlessly. Kaidan pressed their lips together as he started to lower himself slowly, wincing ever so slightly as the pressure increased against his sphincter.

'What? Where did I get what?' he thought as their tongues wrestled with each other. He closed his eyes and started to see dazzling flashes of light as he bore down and felt Shepard start to slide inside him. Hadrian's fist tightened and he pumped Kaidan's cock faster, coaxing him into it, the pleasure making it easier to relax.

'The vanilla and brown sugar stuff. It's familiar but I can't exactly place it...'

Kaidan took a deep breath and as they kissed he he experienced a sensory flash from Shepard via their connection- that sweet, swallow-you-whole smell of the cologne that he'd gotten desensitized to.

He wasn't sure exactly how it happened... it was probably the lusty atmosphere of the moment, enveloping and assimilating the answer to the question. But in the instant he thought of Steve Cortez- who favoured 'the vanilla and brown sugar stuff' and had given Kaidan a bottle of it as a wedding present, having remembered Kaidan making an approving comment about it during their time stranded at Xi Bootes- he briefly pictured the shuttle pilot... there, with them... naked with his bronze complexion, perhaps straddling Hadrian's waist, taking Kaidan in, looking back over his shoulder into Kaidan's eyes with those brilliant blue eyes of his.

"Whoah," Shepard blurted out in surprise, turning his head a little to break their lip-lock. "Really?"

Kaidan physically shuddered from the feeling of shock he received from Hadrian, then froze in place, feeling heat rise in his face. He swallowed hard and sighed, embarrassed but still also a little whelmed with the sensations- Hadrian still inside him, and still gripping his twitching manhood, but stopped cold. After a pause, Shepard reached up with his free hand and pulled Kaidan's t-shirt off the upper half of his face revealing raised eyebrows.

"Hi, still me under here," he said in a tone that was a bit hard to decipher. It wasn't exactly angry, and there was surprise and a hint of teasing- his expression even looked a little bit amused- but there was an unmistakable trace of hurt. "A bit early in the honeymoon to be thinking about adultery, ain't it?" He gave a little hip thrust- playfully punitive- but Kaidan gasped and grunted with a bit of pain as the sudden awkwardness had caused him to tense up. He gritted his teeth, and sensing his discomfort Shepard withdrew a little.

"I'm sorry..." Kaidan said sheepishly in a low voice. "You just... asked about that, and I thought about him, and in the moment... and when we were marooned, we sort of bonded. It was over how we both missed you- nothing happened!- but it was while we were still getting used to the synthempathy thing, and I occasionally picked up some... thoughts... from him, like transference of feelings, and I..." But the stammering delivery of the explanation even sounded kind of sketchy to Kaidan himself. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "It was just a thing that popped into my head, it didn't mean anything."

"Hmm," Hadrian said, the corner of his mouth twitching downward for a moment. "Well it isn't a big deal to me, I'm not freaking out or anything, but ah... this could be a problem..."

"I'm not...! I mean, you're enough for me, please don't think that I'm thinking otherwise!" Kaidan pleaded.

"No, I mean..." Hadrian half-chuckled, and shook his hand a little, wagging Kaidan's now flaccid member, "the problem could be your feeling guilty over one little thought. Now I'm feeling that and it's kind of... ah..." Kaidan noticed that the discomfort in his hind end had abated as Hadrian had lost his own erection too.

"Kind of killed the mood... right." Kaidan sighed and pressed his mouth against the nape of Shepard's neck. Sorry.

"It's alright," Hadrian said, sounding- or trying to sound, at any rate- undisappointed. "We can take another crack at it later if you want to. You know I'll be down for it."

Wincing a little, Kaidan dismounted Hade and rolled onto his side, laying an arm over Shepard's chest and a leg over his pelvis, holding him close. The two laid there for several long minutes, processing their feelings over the interruption. Eventually Hadrian lifted Kaidan's t-shirt off his forehead and gently draped it over Alenko's head.

"Maybe we should have a shower first," Shepard mused, running his fingers through Kaidan's hair. "Then put on some of the Radian, hm?"