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James fidgeted with his napkin and tried to tell himself he was being silly. He glanced around the restaurant, hoping to see Kaidan making his way back to the table. He'd had to step away to take a call from work. James dropped his napkin and picked up the menu instead, trying to make sense of the lists before him. It was no use. Dios, he hoped Kaidan didn't get called away again. They had yet to actually complete a date, and the way things were going, James was starting to worry that the trend might continue right up until he left for the observatory.
Okay, maybe it had only been a week since they actually met in person on purpose. But they had known each other for so long, and as soon as they had both admitted they wanted to try adding a new dimension to their friendship, it had just seemed right. Everything had clicked. And then, it had all fallen apart.
They'd made it through a round of drinks and into their dinner that first night before Kaidan got a call from work demanding he go into the office immediately. James had to admit he was impressed by the streak of cursing that came out of Kaidan (after he'd ended the call, of course). But it had put an abrupt end to their first date. Kaidan walked James back to his car in the museum parking lot, pressing a soft warm kiss to his lips as they parted. His apology had been heartfelt, and James had been more frustrated over the lost time than anything else. He could see the clear frustration in Kaidan's eyes, too, and oddly enough, that helped.
Their second date lasted longer, but not by much. They made it through the whole movie, and were discussing whether to go out to eat or pick something up to take back to Kaidan's place when James turned his phone back on to find six missed calls, five text messages, and three voicemails from Liara. It turned out that Sam somehow managed to break her leg and needed someone to go pick her up from the hospital. Liara had spent the day helping out with a dig on one of the islands off the coast, and had planned to camp there overnight. She had no way to leave until the ferry came in the morning, which meant James was on chauffer duty.
Kaidan was great about it, pulling James to his car and driving straight to the hospital so they could get her. He'd driven them home without complaint, although there had been quite a lot of blushing. Sam, loopy from her painkillers, and sitting shotgun because she needed room for her leg, decided the ride back to the apartment was the opportune time to grill Kaidan about his intentions toward James. He still wasn't sure which one of them had been more embarrassed about that. Kaidan dropped them off, giving James another too-short goodbye kiss. He received an awkward kiss on the cheek from Sam as well, along with an apology for interrupting their date.
Neither incident was a big deal in the grand scheme of things, James supposed. (Well, okay, the broken leg was a big deal for Sam. Being stuck at home was driving her up the wall.) But taken together, and looking at the very real possibility that date number three might be cut short as well, he couldn't help but wonder whether the whole affair was doomed. Don't be such a pendejo, he chided himself. It wasn't like they hadn't talked plenty over the course of the last week. James' summer job at the gym had started, but his hours pretty much lined up with Kaidan's own work schedule. They still played their game together and stayed up far too late chatting online. There was decidedly more flirting now, and more than a few suggestive comments.
It wasn't enough though. Not anymore. He wanted to stay up all night talking to Kaidan face to face. To play some silly two-person game side by side instead of in their separate houses. To hear Kaidan's rich voice without the tinny distortion of his computer speakers. To just...be with Kaidan. He bit back a growl, annoyed with himself. He was being stupid, and he knew it. This was just new relationship jitters or something. That heady rush of mutual adoration and exploration as they figured out how they fit together. Which brought back to mind the other things he wanted to be doing with Kaidan that their interrupted dates kept preventing.
"Hey, sorry." Kaidan gave James' shoulder a gentle squeeze in passing and slipped back into his seat, his expression a cross between annoyed an apologetic. The cell phone was nowhere in sight.
"It's okay," James mumbled, trying for a smile. "Work's work, I get it." He set down the menu. "You gotta head out then?"
"No."
James' eyebrows shot up. "No?" He felt a bit of his tension unravel.
"Nope." The corners of Kaidan's mouth quirked up into that smirk that James was really starting to love. His brown eyes twinkled, and he leaned forward, reaching out for James' hand. "I reminded Udina that I am not on call tonight, Garrus is. I also pointed out that I've logged almost eighty hours of overtime this month." He sat back, the smirk blossoming into a full smile. James let out a low whistle. Kaidan nodded. "Yeah. Not only is that a lot of fucking overtime," he shook his head, "but company policy is that when it hits eighty hours, you start getting triple pay. Udina's not about to approve that if he can help it. So," Kaidan squeezed James' hand and let go, reaching for his own menu, "I am officially all yours for the rest of the night."
"Cool," James said, trying not to shiver at the thrill that shot through him.
He glanced back at his menu, and suddenly it made sense again. The waiter came by and took their orders, and they settled into chatting about their days. When the conversation hit a lull, Kaidan reached out and took his hand again. "Hey," he said, giving it a reassuring squeeze, "it's not always gonna be like this, I promise. Work is just nuts right now."
"I know that," James said, blinking at the comment. And he did. It occurred to him that he had a pretty good handle on Kaidan's schedule already, given how much time they spent together online. Kaidan knew his schedule pretty well, too. Stuff might come up, like Kaidan's crazy time at work lately, or James' internship at the observatory, but for the most part, they already knew how much they were each around. It was kind of reassuring, actually, when he stopped to think about it. It dawned on him how easy it would be to replace some of those online sessions with personal ones. Might cut into their gaming a bit, but he figured he could live with that. He squeezed Kaidan's hand in return. "I'm sorry your boss is giving you such a hard time right now."
Kaidan waved it off. "Udina's an ass," he shrugged. "He always comes to me first with his crap. It's just worse right now because he's angling for a promotion. If he gets it, then I'll probably have a new boss to figure out. Hopefully they'll appreciate the whole team."
"Wonder why he likes you so much?" James mused.
"Oh he doesn't like me at all," Kaidan laughed. "He doesn't like any of us. He got offered this position after getting turned down for one he wanted more and felt he deserved. He's resented everyone under him since then. He just...distrusts me less, is all. I guess because I'm the manager."
"Huh. That sucks."
"Yeah." The waiter showed up with their food and Kaidan sat back, their hands parting again. "But it is what it is. Let's talk about something more interesting, huh?" He winked as he picked up his fork. "Like this steak."
James laughed and nodded, agreeing to the request to change the topic. They dug into their food and silence reigned as they ate. James felt his tension building up again as they wrapped up the meal. He realized he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. For something to come up on his end. But they finished their meal, then their dessert, without further interruption. Kaidan stole the check when James wasn't looking and then they were out of the restaurant, walking toward the parking garage with their fingers twined together. James relaxed by degrees as they talked about the newest expansion for their game that had just been announced, speculating on if it would be any good or not.
They reached Kaidan's car, and something in his manner changed. He seemed nervous as he toyed with his keys, not opening the doors. Hesitant, almost. "So, um." Kaidan started. He ducked his head and took a deep breath before looking up again. When he spoke, his voice had gone husky. "Where to next, then? I can drop you home, or..." he trailed off, biting his lip.
"Or we could go hang out at your place for a while," James said, trying for casual. Kaidan looked at once both relieved and tense at James' answer. James had to bite back a laugh. He was pretty sure he understood exactly how Kaidan was feeling. "If you want," he added with a smile, trying to let Kaidan know it was okay if he didn't.
"Well, yeah, sure," Kaidan said, clearing his throat. "If you want."
"Night's young, K," James said with a grin. "We go to my place and we're likely to get stuck watching Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider with Sam and Liara." He shrugged and softened his smile. "I mean, that's fun, too, but I was hoping we could hang out just the two of us, you know?"
"Yeah," Kaidan said, quiet and sounding more relaxed. "Yeah, me too." He nodded once and pressed the button to pop the doors. "Yeah, okay. Let's go to my place then."
James was glad that Kaidan's confidence was returning. He could feel his own start to waver as nerves set in. He was pretty sure they were both on the same page about what they wanted to do at Kaidan's place. Maybe not the specifics. They hadn't talked much about sex yet--it hadn't really come up before, and since it started seeming relevant, there hadn't really been a good opportunity to do so. James was more than looking forward to getting up close and physical, but he was also nervous. He'd had two discreet hookups while he'd been in the service, and fooled around somewhat less discreetly a couple of times since he got out. But none of it had been meant for anything other than a one-time thing. Never with someone he cared about like he did for Kaidan. If he did something wrong, screwed something up somehow...
Thankfully the ride to Kaidan's apartment was a short one. Kaidan must have sensed something of James' thoughts, because as he parked and turned off the car, he shifted to face James, a look of concern on his face. He reached out and placed a gentle hand on James' knee, more to catch his attention than anything else. "Hey, look, I know we haven't actually talked about," he swallowed, "physical stuff yet. But if you're not ready yet or if you just don't want to, there's no expectations here, okay?"
James let out a slow breath and placed his hand over Kaidan's. Some of his nerves quieted. He managed a smile as he met Kaidan's eyes. "Well, it is our third date," he teased, "you know what that usually means." Kaidan's brow furrowed and he opened his mouth to argue, but James squeezed his hand, stopping him. "Nah, I know that doesn't actually mean anything. I do want to, for what it's worth, as long as you do too. And I'm pretty sure I'm as ready as I'm gonna be."
"What do you mean?" Kaidan jumped in, eyes widening a shade. "You've--I mean, have you?"
James let out a soft laugh. "Yeah, I have. It's just been a while. And it's never been like this," he gestured between them, "like us. This is big, Kaidan. For me, at least."
Kaidan sat back a little in his seat, looking thoughtful. He didn't pull his hand back though. "Right," he said, voice quiet. He glanced at James, giving him a look that melted James' heart a little. "Yeah, it's big for me too. I don't want to screw this up."
"Me neither, man," James agreed with a smile. He unbuckled his seatbelt. "But whatever we do or don't do, I don't think we should stay in the car for it, huh?"
"Right," Kaidan said again. He laughed and unbuckled his seatbelt as well. "Come on, let's go in." He gave James a warm smile. "We'll figure it out."
"Yeah. We will."
They made their way inside, and across the lobby. James glanced around, trying to familiarize himself with the place as they walked. Hopefully he'd be coming over here a lot, he figured, so it was probably a good idea to get the lay of the land. He followed Kaidan into the elevator, and they both leaned against the back wall, shoulders brushing as they waited to reach their floor.
"It's not actually our third date, you know," Kaidan said into the silence.
"What?" James shot him a questioning look. "What are you talking about?" The elevator came to a stop and a bell dinged as the doors slid open. Kaidan grinned and pushed away from the wall out into the wide hallway, James trailing in his wake, confused. "Drinks and dinner Wednesday after meeting at the museum," he said, holding up a finger, "and the movie Sunday night," he added another. "That makes two, which makes this three."
"Four," Kaidan said with a laugh. "You're forgetting lunch on Monday."
James' eyebrows drew together. Monday morning he had gotten up early and cooked up a whole lot of different meals, putting them all in the fridge or freezer in single serving containers. Sam wouldn't be able to do much cooking since she was supposed to stay off her feet, and Liara and he both had summer jobs. He figured it was better to make her a bunch of meals now to avoid her falling back on whatever places delivered for the next few weeks.
There had been plenty of food though, and wanting to apologize to Kaidan for the way their date had ended, he'd texted him to ask if he could bring him some lunch at his office. But, "That wasn't a date, K," he said in a dubious tone. "That was just leftovers."
Kaidan came to a stop in front of a door and pulled out his key ring. "You cooked me food," he said with an amused smile, "and brought it to me, and we ate a meal together." He leaned over to press a kiss to James' cheek before entering his apartment, flicking on a light switch beside the door and holding it open, beckoning James in. "In my books, that's a date."
"Huh." James stared for a second and then gave himself a shake, going inside. Kaidan shut the door and James turned to face him. A broad grin spread across his face. It had been a nice lunch. "That means that not all of our dates have been a complete disaster."
"I don't know, I thought this one has been going pretty well," Kaidan said in a soft voice, leaning back against the door.
James laughed and stepped forward, closing the space between them. He pressed his hands against the door on either side of Kaidan's head, leaning down so their foreheads met. "Yeah," he agreed, "me too."
Kaidan shifted, moving to bring his lips up to James' and he reached up to cup the back of James' neck with his hands, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss. James dropped his hands from the door to Kaidan's waist, tugging his shirt out of his pants. Kaidan slipped his tongue into James' mouth and James let his hands slide down, grabbing Kaidan's ass. Dios, he has a fantastic ass. Kaidan groaned as James pressed their hips together, rolling against him in a slow grind. He could feel Kaidan's erection through the layers of clothing between them.
James let out a groan of his own at the realization that Kaidan was hard for him. Although he supposed it was only fair. His own arousal was making itself quite known as well. Fuck, he thought, this is actually happening, isn't it?"
Kaidan pushed away from the door, steering James backward, further into the apartment. Somehow he managed not to break their contact while he did so. James spared a second to be impressed, and then he found himself dropping, pushed down onto the couch. He did not whine when Kaidan remained standing instead of moving with him. He didn't. Before he could voice a complaint, Kaidan dropped to his knees, pushing James' legs apart and settling between them. James sucked in a breath at the sight.
Kaidan stretched up and kissed him again, giving James' lower lip a gentle nip before he settled back down. He gave James a deviant grin and skated his fingers along James' cock, pausing at the button of his jeans. "Can I?" Kaidan asked. His breathy voice had a reverent air that was at odds with his expression.
James couldn't quite form any words so he nodded instead, trying not to look too eager. Kaidan undid his fly with care, urging James to lift his hips so he could pull down his jeans and boxers. He didn't have much time to feel awkward about sitting sprawled on the couch with his pants around his ankles though. Kaidan wasn't wasting any time, apparently. As soon as James' pants were out of the way, he dived in, wrapping his mouth around James' cock, hands moving up to stroke him and fondle his balls. James cried out, trying not to buck into the wet heat surrounding him. It had been a long time since anyone had done this for him, and his senses were overwhelmed. But he thought he heard--or maybe he felt it--Kaidan laugh. Bastard.
He took the unkind thought back half a heartbeat later when Kaidan did something with his tongue that did have James bucking up, arching off the couch with a shout. Kaidan seemed unperturbed, he just kept on stroking and licking and sucking and--"Fuck!" James swore. "K, if you keep that up, I'm gonna--"
But the warning was too late. Kaidan hummed around him and then did that thing with his tongue again and James was coming. Hard. Shit. His vision grayed around the edges and his ears rang from it. He took a few slow breaths and shook his head, glancing down to meet Kaidan's eyes. Kaidan grinned at him in satisfaction, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "You were saying?" he asked.
James loosed a breathy laugh and leaned forward, reaching out and hauling Kaidan to him by the front of his shirt. Kaidan let out a surprised sound and then he was laughing too. James kissed him and turned, keeping his grip, pushing Kaidan down on the couch and rolling on top of him. One of Kaidan's hands wrapped around his neck, sliding up the back of his head so he could run his fingers though James' hair. The other snaked down to James' waist, tracing along the naked skin there, fingers pushing under James' shirt.
James reached down for Kaidan's belt, unbuckling it and then undoing Kaidan's fly. He kissed Kaidan again as he worked his hand into Kaidan's pants, wrapping his fingers around Kaidan's cock. Kaidan cried out and arched up, thrusting into the circle of James' hand. "God, James," he breathed. "Do you have any idea how good that feels."
"I have an inkling," James laughed, kissing his neck.
Kaidan tugged at James' shirt, pushing it up. "Want this off," he mumbled as he rocked into James' hand.
"Hey, if either of us is overdressed right now, it's you."
Kaidan stilled, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "You have a point," he said. He shot James a mischievous grin and then pushed gently at his chest, indicating he wanted to sit up. James moved back, giving him space, slipping his hand out of Kaidan's pants. "Come on," Kaidan said, standing up and offering a hand to James. "We'll have more room on the bed anyway."
James' eyes widened but he didn't hesitate to take Kaidan's hand. He stood and toed off his shoes, then kicked off his pants and boxers. He pulled Kaidan close for another kiss and then tugged off his sweater when they broke apart. He started to undo the buttons of Kaidan's dress shirt, but Kaidan grabbed his hand again and tugged him toward a short hallway. James let himself be pulled into the bedroom, but as soon as Kaidan stopped, he pounced, peeling him out of his clothing. Kaidan laughed and let himself be undressed, shooting James an expectant look once he was done. James grinned and tugged off his own shirt and they stood there for a few seconds, taking in each other's naked bodies.
Kaidan reached up and trailed a light finger over the scar that started on James' nose and wandered across his cheek. James shivered at the touch, and Kaidan's finger moved to the scar on his lip and chin. "Bet there are stories behind these," he murmured. His hand dropped to James' neck and traced the lines of one of his tattoos. "These too."
"Yeah," James rasped, eyes fluttering closed under the light touches.
"Will you tell me sometime?"
James' eyes opened and he gave Kaidan a long look before nodding. He didn't really talk about his time in the service; no one in his circles right now really understood that kind of life. But he got the feeling that Kaidan might at least try. "Okay," he answered. "If you want. Sometime." He reached out, tracing the scar under Kaidan's own lip. "Maybe we'll trade stories." Kaidan's lips quirked up at the edges and James smiled, stepping closer to kiss him.
Kaidan's free hand came up to James' waist and he leaned forward a little. After a second he pulled back, letting out low chuckle. Dios, but James loved that sound. Kaidan's hand drifted lower, knuckles brushing across James' cock, which was growing hard again. "Already?" He shook his head and teased, "Ah, the luxuries of youth."
James snorted. "I'm not that young, K." He cocked an eyebrow. "And you're not that old." He linked his fingers with Kaidan and tugged him further into the room. "Come on, you said something about the bed?"
"Indeed I did." Kaidan chuckled again, letting go of James' hand and watching as he settled himself on the aforementioned bed. James stretched out, being sure to give Kaidan a good view. From the heated look Kaidan gave him, he appreciated what he saw. "Just a sec," Kaidan said, turning to open a drawer in the nightstand. James took the opportunity to admire Kaidan's ass in all its naked glory while he rummaged in the drawer, turning back after a few minutes with a bottle of lube. James grinned and scooted over to make room for Kaidan as he climbed on the bed.
Kaidan nudged James onto his back. He coated both their cocks with lube and tossed the bottle back to the nightstand, then lowered himself on top of James. He kissed James, slow and sweet, and wrapped his hand around both their cocks. James let out a low moan and reached between them as well, and they moved together thrusting into the circle of their hands. Kaidan's free hand found James' and they held on to each other tightly. Kaidan broke the kiss to lean his forehead against James', his slow panting increasing as they both began to move faster, grips tightening as they neared completion.
Kaidan came a heartbeat before James did, leaning down to kiss him again, swallowing James' shout when he came as well. He rolled off of James and snuggled up next to him, resting his head on James' shoulder. James turned slightly, burying his face in Kaidan's hair as he caught his breath. "Damn, K," he panted, "I could get used to this."
"God, I hope so," Kaidan sighed.
"Yeah?" James shifted, propping himself up on an elbow.
"Yeah," Kaidan agreed, turning over to face him. He ran his fingers along James' cheek and down his neck, then his chest. His fingers moved farther, trailing down to run through the sticky mess on James' stomach. "I kind of like having you around," he said with a smile.
"More than just a voice on the computer?"
"That's good too," Kaidan chuckled. He leaned in and kissed James. "This is better though," he whispered. His hand slid around James' waist and he pulled him close in a one-armed hug.
"I think we're gonna have to figure out a way to run ops together while we're in the same room," James said, half joking.
Kaidan nodded though, face serious. Then he smiled and his eyes lit up. "Well," he said. "I have been thinking about getting a laptop."