Okie dokie!
It bothers him immensely every morning after their first night together. At either of their homes, at the station, at the hospital, at his own office, Shepard knows. He holds out a cup of coffee; sometimes in a mug, sometimes a Styrofoam cup, sometimes in a take-out cup. Occasionally the coffee is too dark. The hospital’s is weak as hell, might as well drink water. The station’s newest fifteen pound bag consists of beans that taste over-roasted. Still, Shepard knows, and it bothers Kaidan every time. He knows how to fix Kaidan the perfect coffee in any situation.
A normal brew that tastes good is three packs of sugar. Just over a teaspoon from the drawer in Kaidan’s house. An even teaspoon from Shepard’s drawer. But the more places they go together and the more coffee they drink, Shepard somehow figures out the balance as if he was born with the knowledge. he knows when it needs to be sweeter and when he can hold back so a light brew doesn’t taste like sour sugar water.
And soon enough it becomes so embarrassing that Kaidan can’t even bring the one question he is dying to know the answer to more than anything else. Doesn’t know why he can’t just ask how Shepard takes his coffee. Shouldn’t he just have it inside him by instinct like Shepard does? It’s nearly a pride issue by this stage. After all, even though he hadn’t been totally aware of it at the time, he’s been in love with Shepard far longer than Shepard’s been in love with him. And yet, somehow, Shepard noticed him more, down to the coffee.
That’s when the experiments start. His first starting point is his certainty that, for the both of them, the preferred and best brew is at Shepard’s house. That’s a given. He perfected the art of drip coffee, and his coffee maker is probably the most expensive thing he’s ever bought with his own money. The second certainty is that Shepard doesn’t take cream in his coffee. Not many of them at the station do unless it’s non-dairy, because sometimes during long calls the coffee is still needed even if it has to sit until it’s colder than the air outside. Cream or milk would long have spoiled after hours of work. So, no cream, and never a drop of caffeine wasted.
Kaidan starts first with no sugar. Plain and dark. Shepard downs it in one go and says it’s like a kick in the balls. No good there.
A half teaspoon? Earns him a slight grimace, but that frustrates Kaidan even more when Shepard doesn’t move to correct the mistake. He simply raises the mug and wanders off. Dammit.
Full teaspoon. Less of a face, but still not just right. For fuck’s sake.
Time to go for broke. Kaidan scoops in two rounded teaspoons. Far sweeter than he’s ever taken himself, and imagines Shepard spitting the shit out immediately. However… today Shepard grins. “Coffee’s perfect today,” he says with warmth. “Did you buy a new brand?”
“Nah,” Kaidan answers with a secret smile at his partner’s hidden sweet tooth and the acknowledgement of his efforts. Then he taps his mug against Shepard’s in cheers before bending forward to kiss the lingering sweetness off of his lips.
Jupiter Astrid James 