[couples_therapy: 34.1]
OOC: This prompt is in the AU!Earth verse, with AU!Kara, Cylon_prophet and notmyfate. Also, this is domestic and cute, because sometimes they are. There will be tension and angst soon enough!
Spend a rainy day with your partner. (Or, in Kara's case, partners).
The days were starting to get shorter, the temperature cooler. Not having a wall on the back of the house was beginning to become a problem, but building supplies were running low as workers were trying to get the hospital finished. There was nothing to do but secure the tarp and hope it held against the wind.
It was also rainy--days and days of rain, in torrential amounts that soaked everything and made it almost impossible to leave the house. Kara desperately wanted to go for a run--she really loved jogging on the beach--but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon; the rain had turned the sand to mush, and it would have been a little bit too much like boot camp to be enjoyable.
Kara paced in the living room, trying to finish the mural on the wall. She had four started in the house--one in her bedroom, one in Sam's, one in Leoben's, and one in the living room. None of them were finished yet. Sam asked her what they were going to look like when they were done, and Kara nearly bit his head off. I don't know. Don't ask me that. That's a stupid question. I don't know until it's done.
Leoben understood. She had thought he might.
The artistic inspiration wasn't getting through her intense irritation at being kept indoors, and she put her paintbrush down, running a hand through her hair and muttering darkly.
Leoben, who was reading on the couch, looked up at her. "What's the matter?"
Kara looked over at him. He was dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, a green that almost matched his eyes. He was reading a crime thriller, some stupid paperback that someone must have brought on one of the ships for a quick read. Not knowing it would be the only book they ever saw again...
"Where did you get that?" Kara snapped, hands on her hips. Leoben was an easy target for her anger, which she knew was a problem but didn't feel like addressing at the moment. "The book."
"There is a book exchange. It's next to the supply store a few miles up," Leoben said. "I finished the other two last week, but they don't have a lot of books to choose from."
"Oh." Kara had no actual reason to be mad at him, and his voice was patient but not overly-so, so she gave up and started pacing. "I'm half-tempted to go get in my Viper and fly around this frakking planet just to get out of the house."
"Can you do that?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "I can fly a plane, Leoben."
"I know that," he said, looking back at his book. His face was completely expressionless. "I just didn't know if they allowed you to take one whenever you wanted. If you can, you should."
He was almost, almost spared her ire until that last bit. "What the frak is that supposed to mean?"
Leoben looked up again. "You have paint on your nose," he said, in lieu of an answer. Kara thought he might be amused beneath the calm, which wasn't helping her temper in the slightest.
"So you're saying I'm--"
"Baby, I think he's agreeing with you," Sam interrupted, leaning against the doorway. He definitely looked amused. "Weren't you agreeing with her, Leoben?"
"Yes," Leoben said, flipping the page. "This book isn't very good. Could you fly the Viper to the book exchange and get me another one?"
"Ohh, while you're out, could you go to the central offices and see about some more Pyramid balls?" Sam said, mimicking shooting. "I could use some more. Frakking things can't stand up to all those kids."
Leoben looked over at Sam, appearing very serious. "That seems impractical, Sam. I don't think there's enough room to land a Viper behind the administration building. It would make Adama nervous, wouldn't it?"
"Maybe. But where's she gonna park the Viper at the book exchange, then? It's next to the ocean." Sam gave Leoben a look, and then said, "They don't float, you know. They're made out of metal," in the tone of voice that suggested Leoben was a moron.
"Oh," Leoben said, shrugging nonchalantly. "Right. I guess I'll just have to finish this, then." He picked the book up, opening it back to his page.
"It's the lawyer," Sam said blandly. "He killed her because he wrote himself into her will."
Leoben, with an exaggerated sigh, tossed the book across the room. "Or not."
"Sorry. I just figured you'd already figured it out, Mr. I-See-The-Things-You-Can't-Patterns-In-The-Heavens."
"Would you believe God didn't see fit to illuminate the complexities of Dark Justice for me?"
Kara, through this entire exchange, was watching the both of them with an expression close to amazement. This was not normal behavior for the two of them--well, bickering was, but there was some solidarity to this, something beneath it that suggested--"Are you trying to make me laugh?"
"Why would you say that?" Leoben asked, cocking his head, regarding her thoughtfully.
"Yeah, baby, why'd you think we'd do a thing like that? I mean, we know how you get when you are inside too much, and we know you have a temper--"
"You were!" Kara exclaimed, walking over and punching Sam in the arm--and not lightly, either. "Frak you," she said, and then went over to Leoben and clapped him on the side of the head. "And frak you, too."
"Did it work?" Leoben asked, rubbing his ear, smiling up at her.
Kara, to her surprise, actually smiled back. "Yeah. Gods. I'm sorry." She idly rubbed her fingers in Leoben's hair, moving her thumb back-and-forth over his ear before pulling her hand back. Casual touch was still not easy between them, but she was trying. They were all trying. "You know how I get."
She crossed over to Sam and leaned up, lightly kissing his shoulder where she'd hit him. Sam rubbed her back briefly before she pulled away, his hand warm and steady against her.
"Yeah, we do know how you get. You wanna--" Sam looked around, seeking something to do. "You wanna take turns reading Leoben's crime thriller out loud?"
"No, not now, especially since I know it was the lawyer," Kara said, bouncing on her heels, grinning at Sam while throwing a few punches in the air next to him.
"What, like you were gonna read it next?" Sam asked, laughing, and Kara darted in and punched him again, this time without any real force. "When was the last time you read a book, Thrace? Was it a pilot's manual--ouch!" He doubled over in mock pain as Kara lightly backfisted him in the stomach.
"That doesn't even make sense, about the lawyer." Leoben got up and picked up the book, examining it closely. "I thought it was going to be the gardener. Why would anyone let their lawyer write themselves into their will?"
"They were sleeping together," Sam said to him, pretend-sparring with Kara.
"They were?"
"Yeah."
Leoben frowned, flipping through the book. "I don't remember that."
"You hadn't gotten to that part yet," Sam said, shrugging, deflecting another of Kara's punches. "Amateurish, Thrace," he tsked at her. "That was telegraphed so bad, I could have seen it coming back on Caprica."
Leoben was still looking through the paperback. "Oh, here it is. Chapter fifteen. I was only on twelve before you ruined the entire thing for me."
"The part with the sex was probably the only part Sam read," Kara said, giggling, shrieking as Sam picked her up around the waist. She'd noticed, lately, that his strength was improving, beginning to grow past the boundaries of a normal human man. She hadn't mentioned it, though. She was so leaving that one up to Leoben.
"No it isn't. Obviously, I flipped to the end and read that, so I could ruin Leoben's day. Seriously, Thrace, kick me one more time and you're going out of the tarp."
Kara, half-hanging down Sam's back, stopped trying to get free. "I have a better idea," she said, and wriggled a bit. "Put me down and I'll tell you."
"Is it beat Sam up?" Sam asked, but he put her back on her feet.
"Maybe, if you want it rough, soldier," Kara said, grinning, pressing against him and putting her arms around his neck.
Sam smiled at her, slow and easy, the kind of smile she hadn't seen very much of since before New Caprica. "I'm not a soldier anymore," he reminded her.
"Does that mean you won't call me sir?"
Sam laughed, leaning down and kissing her soundly. "I'll call you anything you want," he said huskily, and moved away, taking her hand and pulling her back towards the bedrooms.
Kara looked back at Leoben, arched a brow at him. "Well? Are you coming or not?"
"Sam already ruined my book," he answered, walking towards them, though in typical Leoben-fashion it looked more like stalking. "I might as well."
"I know who's not going first," Sam muttered, and Kara threw back her head and laughed, and Leoben said something about patience is well-rewarded, I keep telling you that, both of you, and outside, the rain beat down hard and relentless, but none of them noticed.
Spend a rainy day with your partner. (Or, in Kara's case, partners).
The days were starting to get shorter, the temperature cooler. Not having a wall on the back of the house was beginning to become a problem, but building supplies were running low as workers were trying to get the hospital finished. There was nothing to do but secure the tarp and hope it held against the wind.
It was also rainy--days and days of rain, in torrential amounts that soaked everything and made it almost impossible to leave the house. Kara desperately wanted to go for a run--she really loved jogging on the beach--but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon; the rain had turned the sand to mush, and it would have been a little bit too much like boot camp to be enjoyable.
Kara paced in the living room, trying to finish the mural on the wall. She had four started in the house--one in her bedroom, one in Sam's, one in Leoben's, and one in the living room. None of them were finished yet. Sam asked her what they were going to look like when they were done, and Kara nearly bit his head off. I don't know. Don't ask me that. That's a stupid question. I don't know until it's done.
Leoben understood. She had thought he might.
The artistic inspiration wasn't getting through her intense irritation at being kept indoors, and she put her paintbrush down, running a hand through her hair and muttering darkly.
Leoben, who was reading on the couch, looked up at her. "What's the matter?"
Kara looked over at him. He was dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, a green that almost matched his eyes. He was reading a crime thriller, some stupid paperback that someone must have brought on one of the ships for a quick read. Not knowing it would be the only book they ever saw again...
"Where did you get that?" Kara snapped, hands on her hips. Leoben was an easy target for her anger, which she knew was a problem but didn't feel like addressing at the moment. "The book."
"There is a book exchange. It's next to the supply store a few miles up," Leoben said. "I finished the other two last week, but they don't have a lot of books to choose from."
"Oh." Kara had no actual reason to be mad at him, and his voice was patient but not overly-so, so she gave up and started pacing. "I'm half-tempted to go get in my Viper and fly around this frakking planet just to get out of the house."
"Can you do that?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "I can fly a plane, Leoben."
"I know that," he said, looking back at his book. His face was completely expressionless. "I just didn't know if they allowed you to take one whenever you wanted. If you can, you should."
He was almost, almost spared her ire until that last bit. "What the frak is that supposed to mean?"
Leoben looked up again. "You have paint on your nose," he said, in lieu of an answer. Kara thought he might be amused beneath the calm, which wasn't helping her temper in the slightest.
"So you're saying I'm--"
"Baby, I think he's agreeing with you," Sam interrupted, leaning against the doorway. He definitely looked amused. "Weren't you agreeing with her, Leoben?"
"Yes," Leoben said, flipping the page. "This book isn't very good. Could you fly the Viper to the book exchange and get me another one?"
"Ohh, while you're out, could you go to the central offices and see about some more Pyramid balls?" Sam said, mimicking shooting. "I could use some more. Frakking things can't stand up to all those kids."
Leoben looked over at Sam, appearing very serious. "That seems impractical, Sam. I don't think there's enough room to land a Viper behind the administration building. It would make Adama nervous, wouldn't it?"
"Maybe. But where's she gonna park the Viper at the book exchange, then? It's next to the ocean." Sam gave Leoben a look, and then said, "They don't float, you know. They're made out of metal," in the tone of voice that suggested Leoben was a moron.
"Oh," Leoben said, shrugging nonchalantly. "Right. I guess I'll just have to finish this, then." He picked the book up, opening it back to his page.
"It's the lawyer," Sam said blandly. "He killed her because he wrote himself into her will."
Leoben, with an exaggerated sigh, tossed the book across the room. "Or not."
"Sorry. I just figured you'd already figured it out, Mr. I-See-The-Things-You-Can't-Patterns-In-The-Heavens."
"Would you believe God didn't see fit to illuminate the complexities of Dark Justice for me?"
Kara, through this entire exchange, was watching the both of them with an expression close to amazement. This was not normal behavior for the two of them--well, bickering was, but there was some solidarity to this, something beneath it that suggested--"Are you trying to make me laugh?"
"Why would you say that?" Leoben asked, cocking his head, regarding her thoughtfully.
"Yeah, baby, why'd you think we'd do a thing like that? I mean, we know how you get when you are inside too much, and we know you have a temper--"
"You were!" Kara exclaimed, walking over and punching Sam in the arm--and not lightly, either. "Frak you," she said, and then went over to Leoben and clapped him on the side of the head. "And frak you, too."
"Did it work?" Leoben asked, rubbing his ear, smiling up at her.
Kara, to her surprise, actually smiled back. "Yeah. Gods. I'm sorry." She idly rubbed her fingers in Leoben's hair, moving her thumb back-and-forth over his ear before pulling her hand back. Casual touch was still not easy between them, but she was trying. They were all trying. "You know how I get."
She crossed over to Sam and leaned up, lightly kissing his shoulder where she'd hit him. Sam rubbed her back briefly before she pulled away, his hand warm and steady against her.
"Yeah, we do know how you get. You wanna--" Sam looked around, seeking something to do. "You wanna take turns reading Leoben's crime thriller out loud?"
"No, not now, especially since I know it was the lawyer," Kara said, bouncing on her heels, grinning at Sam while throwing a few punches in the air next to him.
"What, like you were gonna read it next?" Sam asked, laughing, and Kara darted in and punched him again, this time without any real force. "When was the last time you read a book, Thrace? Was it a pilot's manual--ouch!" He doubled over in mock pain as Kara lightly backfisted him in the stomach.
"That doesn't even make sense, about the lawyer." Leoben got up and picked up the book, examining it closely. "I thought it was going to be the gardener. Why would anyone let their lawyer write themselves into their will?"
"They were sleeping together," Sam said to him, pretend-sparring with Kara.
"They were?"
"Yeah."
Leoben frowned, flipping through the book. "I don't remember that."
"You hadn't gotten to that part yet," Sam said, shrugging, deflecting another of Kara's punches. "Amateurish, Thrace," he tsked at her. "That was telegraphed so bad, I could have seen it coming back on Caprica."
Leoben was still looking through the paperback. "Oh, here it is. Chapter fifteen. I was only on twelve before you ruined the entire thing for me."
"The part with the sex was probably the only part Sam read," Kara said, giggling, shrieking as Sam picked her up around the waist. She'd noticed, lately, that his strength was improving, beginning to grow past the boundaries of a normal human man. She hadn't mentioned it, though. She was so leaving that one up to Leoben.
"No it isn't. Obviously, I flipped to the end and read that, so I could ruin Leoben's day. Seriously, Thrace, kick me one more time and you're going out of the tarp."
Kara, half-hanging down Sam's back, stopped trying to get free. "I have a better idea," she said, and wriggled a bit. "Put me down and I'll tell you."
"Is it beat Sam up?" Sam asked, but he put her back on her feet.
"Maybe, if you want it rough, soldier," Kara said, grinning, pressing against him and putting her arms around his neck.
Sam smiled at her, slow and easy, the kind of smile she hadn't seen very much of since before New Caprica. "I'm not a soldier anymore," he reminded her.
"Does that mean you won't call me sir?"
Sam laughed, leaning down and kissing her soundly. "I'll call you anything you want," he said huskily, and moved away, taking her hand and pulling her back towards the bedrooms.
Kara looked back at Leoben, arched a brow at him. "Well? Are you coming or not?"
"Sam already ruined my book," he answered, walking towards them, though in typical Leoben-fashion it looked more like stalking. "I might as well."
"I know who's not going first," Sam muttered, and Kara threw back her head and laughed, and Leoben said something about patience is well-rewarded, I keep telling you that, both of you, and outside, the rain beat down hard and relentless, but none of them noticed.