“making an effort to spend time together” for Reyes and Kaidan? 👀👀
Well, my friend, this was the FIRST prompt I'd tried to finish before the other one took over to start the drabbles that are now affectionately known as Reylenko! LOL So, here you go. Precious Cargo has been updated with the full installment as well.
Thank you so much for asking about them!!! They really are fun to write!
There were certain aspects of his job he didn’t particularly care for; anyone could say that about their work, he supposed, but Reyes Vidal prided himself for his attention to detail, his professionalism, his ability to get the job done and make it worth the pretty penny he charged to get it done.
What he was discovering these days was, despite the increased payout at the end of the job, the extra time necessary to give his full attention to all of these little details would be far better spent shared with his lover.
Kaidan Alenko’s arrival in Heleus – while unexpected but appreciated more than the man would likely ever know – brought with it the usual aspects of a relationship; find a job, find a place to stay, earn a living in order to survive. It was supposed to have been “living the dream,” but ended up more “survival of the fittest.” Between an alien race that wanted them dead or worse, another alien race’s leftover technology, and some of the best and worst of the Milky Way transported to Andromeda, the only thing about life that was guaranteed these days was that there was never a dull moment.
Reyes’ boyfriend brought with him a unique set of skills, as well. Skills that men like Director Tann should appreciate more, in Reyes’ considered opinion. Still, Tiran Kandros snatched the former Alliance marine into service before Kaidan had a chance to experience disappointment, and for the moment at least, satisfied himself and his sense of duty by assisting the turian with the organization and operations of the APEX strike teams. Unfortunately, that meant he spent more of his time on the Nexus than with Reyes on Kadara.
That wasn’t to say Kaidan never had time to get away from it all for a while – he did, and on those rare occasions, he often spent it with Reyes on Kadara.
Assuming, of course, Reyes was there.
With Zia Cordier and several of his other rivals out of the way, Reyes’ business had increased tenfold, which resulted in even less time to spend together. He was a man who could fully appreciate the benefits that came with his now stellar reputation, but the downside was certainly taking its toll.
As he strode through his Draullir base now, purpose marking every single heel clack, his focus was on his destination, though he fully expected to find disappointment at the end. There had been a window of opportunity, a hope – and if anyone had ever taught him the meaning of that word, it was Kaidan Alenko – that they could have at the very least a few hours to themselves before the other man left, more time than they’d had in the past six months combined. But Reyes had missed that window by over two hours. Two fucking hours instead spent evading both Kett and Initiative patrols on his way back to Kadara instead.
There had to be an end to it somewhere, didn’t there?
Reaching his suite of rooms, he threw the doors open and was greeted by complete and utter darkness. No hint of a light, not a sign of the man he so desperately wanted to see.
Sighing, he ran his free hand through his hair while tossing his helmet onto the nearby chair doing his best to shove his lowering morale into the far recesses. “Honey,” he muttered, a sound that was anything but pleasant or content, “I’m home…”
More silence greeted him…
The faintest rustle of fabric, the softest hint of a groan from the direction of the bed. Hope blossomed in Reyes’ chest – damn, he really had it bad, didn’t he? – in the half second before realization followed on its heels.
It came out as a whisper, barely loud enough to be heard over the hum of the ventilation system, but it was enough to elicit a pained response. “Reyes?”
Reyes secured the door behind him as quietly as he could before moving deeper into the room. He left the lights off, more terrified of the pain they might cause to the man lying in their bed than fearful of any injury he might sustain on his way across the room in the dark. He went slowly, kept his boots on this time – his toe still ached after the last incident – and eventually found the edge of the bed. Gently patting his way around, he toed off his boots, removed his armor, and only then climbed onto the bed. “Kaidan, mi amor?” he murmured, hand searching for Kaidan’s. “You are still here?”
Another groan – soft, affirmative maybe? Well, who else would be hiding in Reyes’ room in the dark? – reached his ears as he finally found Kaidan’s hand and took it in his. The static shock that passed between them thanks to the other man’s biotics was the last bit of evidence Reyes needed, though it wasn’t necessary. “Mi amor,” Reyes whispered as he lowered himself onto the mattress while Kaidan shifted to snuggle close in his arms, “la migraña?”
Shit. From past experience, he understood that Kaidan must be well into this one, too, if he was lying in bed in the dark curled up beneath the blankets already. “I came back as soon as I could,” Reyes said by way of apology as he drew the bed clothes over both of them.
Kaidan’s voice trailed off into steady, deep breaths with only the occasional hitch from what Reyes assumed was pain.
It wasn’t the kind of reunion he’d been hoping for and it certainly hadn’t been planned, but as he laid there holding Kaidan, he considered their current circumstances.
Though he didn’t have one hundred percent proof – their relationship was new enough there were still many things they had to discuss and motivations were in that category – he was fairly certain Kaidan made the voyage to Andromeda because of him. It was an idea that left Reyes more than pleased; like an unexpected but most appreciated gift. Then again, it was difficult not to see it that way. Unlike his previous relationships over the years, including Zia, with Kaidan he had found something…more substantial. Solid. The potential for something longer-lasting.
Kaidan shifted against Reyes, settling his head on Reyes’ chest as if listening to his heartbeat. A flutter in Reyes’ chest arose unexpectedly, surprising but not wholly unexpected at this point. Sighing softly, he slid his arm to carefully hold the man close. They were going to have to discuss this more in future, especially if they both wanted a future together – which seemed the likely outcome of their current association.
Ah, well… what was the point of being his own boss if he couldn’t set his own rules, hmm?
