#i left the compote on heat too long so it got real thick but whatev

[mildmayfoxe]

got half price challah yesterday & made french toast and a quick cranberry strawberry compote about it 🍓

[hunnybadgerv]

Cold Mornings Are The Best | Mass Effect | Shenko for Keliandra

Summary: A post-Reaper War Christmas morning for the human Spectres, who are trying to find their own new normal in this new universe.

a/n: Written for @Keliandra as a holiday gift for the MEWC Exchange. I truly hope you enjoy this piece. I tried to mix something sweet and fluffy with a little more.

Links: AO3 | FFnet

Cold Mornings Are the Best

Shepard padded around the cozy log cabin in an over-sized cable-knit sweater pilfered from her sleeping lover; thick wool socks accentuated her stealth as she wandered in the pre-dawn hours. The front window framed a pristine white world blanketed in fresh snow. Spindly naked trees dotted the landscape between the cabin and the thick dark wall of a pine forest beyond. At the sight of all that snow, she couldn’t help but shiver. And even though it was far warmer inside the cabin than out and she opted to restart the fire while the coffee brewed.

The goosebumps on her bare legs reminded her just how cold it was outside as the occasional chilly breeze sneaked into their refuge and circled around her. Anytime that happened she got a little jealous of Kaidan still curled up beneath the mountain of blankets in the bed their bodies warmed all night. He looked so peaceful, and she had been surprised that her escape went unnoticed. But she really needed coffee and some of those little apple things his mother left for them, which had been calling her name in her sleep. She wasn't sure what they were, but the little three-bite pastries tasted just like Christmas to Nyx. Probably the cinnamon, she thought as she popped the last bite of her third one into her mouth.

With a telltale sputter, Shepard turned and tugged the coffee pot free and filled two mugs—one black, one lightly sweetened. For that reason alone, she made sure she never prepared their coffee in cups that looked alike. Your first mouthful of morning coffee should not be someone else's; it could turn your whole day on its head in one sip. And her life had more than enough sideways, adding to it unnecessarily was something she tried adamantly to avoid.

Part of her expected the smell of the coffee brewing to wake him up, but when she entered the bedroom with the cups, Kaidan was still fast asleep, or seemed to be. As another cool waft of air brushed her legs and made her shiver, Shepard shook her head at her lover. He laid shirtless and mostly uncovered, the sheets and blankets laid low across his hips. Must be a Canadian thing.

She leaned in the doorway, perching one foot on the opposite knee just enjoying the sight of him so peaceful and beautiful. One hand rested behind his head, the other draped over his eyes despite the fact that the only light in the entire cabin came from the fire she lighted in the other room.  

Eventually silent footsteps carried her to the bedside where she set down the mugs with little plates of his mother's treats atop them. Shepard sat carefully on the side of the bed and leaned over him—not even a groan. With one finger, she lightly traced the topography of his chest, when she guided it over that tempting slope at his hip, Kaidan wriggled beneath her touch. His smile spread, lazy and warm, over his lips as a relaxed groan accompanied the sleepy stretch of his arms

"How are you the first one up?" he asked, voice strained as he stretched his arms far out to his sides, with a huge yawn. One hand returned to rest on her knee.

"I was always the first one up on Christmas," she revealed, as she leaned forward and kissed him on the tip of his nose. "Merry Christmas, by the way." Another little peck, this one landed on his mouth. Before he could pull her into an embrace that she knew would waylay them, Nyx spun out of his arms and set the plate next to him on the bed. "I brought coffee and,” she gestured toward the nightstand, “whatever those are."

Kaidan laughed, leaning up on one elbow. He pointed to the three types of items on the plate. "Apple Strudels, in miniature. A pouch of apple compote and brie. And when I told her that your favorite holiday food was apple crisp, she tried to make it easier to package."

"Really?" Nyx asked, stepping back toward the bed.

"She likes you. She wanted you to feel comfortable up here, wanted you to have something familiar to make the whole meeting the family thing a little more bearable," he revealed, shrugging one shoulder.

"Well, huh?" Nyx replied, catching her bottom lip between her teeth, thinking about that revelation.

"Huh, what?" Kaidan slid to the edge of the bed, grabbing her hips and guiding her to stand between his knees.

"Mothers usually hate me. Even if I'm not seeing their sons. Usually more so if I am," she added absently. When he squeezed her hips, she looked down at him. "I'm not the type of woman people dream about for their sons, okay? They don’t look at me and see white picket fences or hear the gentle coos of grand babies or the tiny pitter patter of footsteps," she explained. "It's kind of counter to the life I chose. The life I want."

"I know."

Shepard looked down at him and held his face in her hands. "Yes, I realize that, but parents don't always get it."

"That's true. She doesn't understand why, after everything that’s happened, either of us still want to be on active duty. "

"What did you tell her?" Shepard asked, smoothing her hands down his neck and over his bare shoulders. There was a comfortable coolness to his skin that drew her in.

Alenko wrapped his arms completely around her waist and rested his chin against her belly as he looked up at her. "I told her I made a promise. Told her that no matter what, I have your back. And that whatever comes I'm going to be at your side. As a Spectre, I've got a lot more leeway to determine where I serve and with whom. I'm still Alliance, but I'm not going anywhere."

Shepard’s gaze focused on the circle her fingertip drew over the curve of his shoulder for a moment, before meeting his amber eyes again. "What if I decided to retire?"

Despite the serious tone of her voice, he laughed. She guessed, it was as hard for him to imagine as it used to be for her. Of course, she had no idea what retirement, a civilian life, might possibly entail. Of course, there loomed the very real chance that it could well send her running back into the fray in a week’s time. But their time there sparked her curiosity about what it might be like for the two of them to have a calmer, domestic life—one with less gunfire.

Kaidan remained quiet for a long time, perhaps actually thinking about it. "Then I'll go back to teaching, or we'll find a little place somewhere no one can find us unless we want them to." He moved to stand, and she took a step back. "I'm dead serious. I'm not going anywhere. Even under orders. And as far as my family goes, they know I'm happy and that this … us. It’s what I want.” Kaidan cupped her cheek and held her closer. “Hell, Nyx. Most of my family never thought I'd find anyone who’d stick it out—the Alliance, the L2 complications, the Spectre business, any of it. So, they aren't pushing with questions about the future, or grandchildren. And, honestly, with everything that's happened, I think they're just glad I have someone who makes me happy. Someone to share my life with."

Shepard's fingers teased at the back of his neck as he rested his forehead against hers. "I never thought I would find anything like this either—find someone who got it, got me. Let alone get moments like this. Little bite-sized pieces of normality," she said quietly.

His kiss was reassuring, a forceful and passionate reminder that she truly had a partner. Someone who would support her and watch over her—all wrapped up snugly in a clever, capable package. He swore he’d stay by her side for as much time as they could steal from fate and the galaxy.

Kaidan’s hand coasted down her thigh, just far enough to sneak beneath the sweater she’d confiscated. “I do have to say though. I think my sweater looks better on you,” he admitted between deepening kisses.

Nyx squeaked when his cold fingertips brushed over the warmth of her bare bottom.

“Isn’t your sister expecting us for breakfast?” she asked, still clinging to him and making no real effort to thwart his intentions.

His knee slipped between hers and his fingers skimmed over her hip to dip between her legs. “The sun’s barely even up yet,” he argued. His nose brushed hers, the kisses halting as he gazed at her. “But if you’re worried, I’ll stop.”

When his embrace loosened, her grip on his neck tightened. “I’d rather you didn’t.”

“Good. Because I really didn’t want to.” His admission, punctuated with a claiming kiss, came laden with a salacious growl.

She whimpered into his mouth when he pulled her into his arms. The chill of his skin dissipated quickly, but shocked her system none the less. He carried her back to the bed. Carelessly, he swept the plate off the sheets as he laid her down. It shattered against the wall, sending forth a few large shards of crockery. In the bed, four hands proved to be too many when they both tried to peel her out of the over-sized sweater. Expecting his skin to still carry a chill, she was shocked by the heat of him once their bodies fitted against one another again.

He did, however, turn onto his side and pull the blankets back over them to keep out any sneaky breezes. He pressed kisses over the top of her thigh, along her hip and ribs, as she watched him. His mouth paused at her breast, hovering, as those warm amber eyes flicked up at her. Giving it a greedy lick, he watched her lips part with a quiet sigh; then he wrapped his lips around it.

“Kaidan,” she whispered, her fingers trailing down the back of his neck along the line of his spine. She had no desire to interfere, though found herself increasingly desperate for more of his attentions.

Her unspoken wish came true. He placed a kiss upon her breast bone and set his attentions to her other breast, while the first nipple pebbled even tighter when exposed to the wispy cold that invaded the room as it battled with the heat of the fire. The combination of sensations sent tingles along her nerves, intensified by the clever dance of his fingertips and his tongue.

The previous night had been a frenzy of lust and desire, but that morning was a luxuriant gift of sensation. He pushed her back against the thick sheets, his body covering hers. They lingered in deep kisses, ethereal caresses, and the quiet of their cabin. There was no rush, even if someone, somewhere might expect them at some time or another. With a mingling of firm lips, pliant tongues, and sharp teeth, their kisses were tinged with residual desperation. Their history left them with a keen appreciation of what was at stake, what they could lose, what they wanted.

She exhaled his name again. This time it was not carried on a whisper, like a prayer; it escaped her swollen lips on a weighted moan. She grasped at his shoulders, nails digging in to keep her grip. Her other hand fisted in his hair and raised his lips from her neck, so she could seal their mouths in a demanding kiss upon his lips.

He groaned into her mouth, Nyx swallowing it like she was starving. All the while her hips ground against his hand, that played her body like the virtuoso he was.

“Yes, Nyx?” he asked, resting his forehead against hers, breathing heavily. His fingers curled within her as his thumb worked circles around her clit.

Her eyes slipped closed and she pressed her head back into the pillow. “Fuck,” she breathed. He waited for an answer, still teasing her with expert precision. Even though her fingers stretched in search she couldn’t reach his cock to exact retribution, he had cleverly pinned his body to the bed in order to keep her frisky fingers at bay. “I want you.”

“You have me, heart and soul,” he assured, pressing a kiss against her jaw.

“I know that. It’s not what I meant. And you know it.”

“Then you’ll have to be more specific.”

“I want you inside me, Kaidan.”

He growled, like he’d been waiting decades for her to say those words. He moved with haste and ease. She whimpered when his fingers slipped from her, mourning the gaping loss of sensation, momentary as it was. Settling between her legs, Kaidan eased into her before resting some of his weight on one elbow so as not to crush her beneath him. Nyx’s fingers grazed his ribs, skimming lower as he took his time. Once his hips met hers, Nyx wrapped one leg around his thigh. She clung to the back of his neck, while her other hand gave his pert bottom a playful, prodding squeeze.

“All you had to do was ask,” he chuckled against her lips.

Nyx grinned at him, it was gentle, pliant like her body in reply to his. “You just like hearing me say it.”

Kaidan laughed, his smile telling. His lips brushed hers. “As much as you like it when I tell you how much I want to feel you,” he said, moving inside her in a long, slow stroke. “How much I want to lose myself in you.” His hips snapped against hers, making her chirp in response.

They both chuckled as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and sealed their lips in a sensual kiss, tongues easing against one another. They found a rhythm, slow and decadent, as their bodies rolled against one another. Neither rushed to achieve the heightened sensations they both knew would come eventually. The Spectres just basked in every shiver, every quake in taught muscle and spark firing beneath flushed skin. At that moment, neither Nyx nor Kaidan held anything back. They took and gave freely, fully—pouring themselves and their desires into one another.

In motions that might seem lazy to the casual observer, they enticed one another, feasting on every ragged breath that escaped their lover. They moved together toward a buzzing gravity which only affected the pair of them and would build until it burst into an explosion of ecstasy within their languid bodies. Kaidan and Nyx clung to one another, basking in the echo or their names on one another’s lips as their nerves crackled with anticipation and finally release.

Even after, they retained that erotic embrace, faces buried against each other’s necks. The two human Spectres were content in that moment to remain encapsulated in their own little sliver of space and time. Wrapped up together, where no one dared encroach. At least until some hours after dawn painted the sky from a vibrant, pastel palette.