true_writers 23.C.1 "Countdown"
This prompt response features AU!Kara, in the AU!Verse. Sam is Notmyfate and Leoben is Cylon_prophet.
Countdown
It was freezing.
Kara stood shivering at the entrance to their outdoor shower, cursing silently under her breath. Of course the gods-damned ocean we found and settled on wouldn't be tropical, would it? It was cold and the wind was intense, lashing at her with increasing fervor. She was wrapped up in a bathrobe that was too big for her--it was Sam's--and she looked over angrily at the back of her house. "Frak both of you," she said, eyes narrowed. "This is so unfair."
The back of the house was still shrouded with a tarp, but there was wood now that formed a very crude back wall because the cold was starting to be a problem. Kara knew they were luckier than a lot of people, but right now, she didn't care. "Why isn't this frakking shower inside?" she snapped, fingers pulling at the tie to her robe without actually undoing it. Frak, it was cold.
"We're lucky to have a shower at all, Thrace," Sam called back at her from behind the section of tarp that functioned as a door. He pulled it open and peered out at her. "Come on, hurry up. Dinner will be ready when you're done. Just get in and get it over with."
Kara ignored that and turned her attention back to the shower. The water was not nearly hot enough for showering outside in this weather, and she glared at it hotly as if that was going to make the water any less lukewarm. "This is stupid. You ever heard of ladies first, you jackasses?" she snapped, looking back over her shoulder through the tangle of her windblown hair.
"Sure. You find a lady, we'll let her go first," Sam said, grinning.
Kara heard a snort of laughter behind him--Leoben--and actually stomped her foot. "Maybe if Leoben didn't take so long in the shower, I'd still have some frakking hot water--"
"Maybe if you stopped arguing, you'd have some yourself. Kara," Leoben said, infinitely calm, his head appearing next to Sam in the small doorway. "You're the one that suggested we do this--how did she say it, Sam?"
"Fairly, by drawing cards to see who got to go first--"
"Which, of course, she only did because she thought she could cheat and we wouldn't notice--" Leoben was grinning now, an expression that always made Kara want to punch him in the face, because it was usually at her expense.
Or Sam's, but that wasn't important at the moment.
What was important was that, in about four minutes, the water would turn icy cold and she'd have no shower at all. And since Leoben and Sam had both had one, she'd end up dirty and looking like a chicken, which was not going to happen, she had a reputation, here. "Fine. Fine. I hate you both. Someone count to three." She started bouncing on her feet, her fingers clutching the tie of the robe, staring with determination at the shower waiting with its rapidly cooling water. I can do this. I found Earth. Frakking stupid, frozen Earth--
"One--"
"Two--" Leoben added, which would have made Kara laugh if she'd been feeling anything other than outrage, and then she heard Sam say--
"Three!"
--And she tore off her robe in a flash, jumping into the shower, shrieking at the cold air on her skin and the not-warm-enough water hitting her like a punch to the gut.
The worst part was, she could hear Sam and Leoben's laughter as she grabbed blindly for the soap. Next time she was going to make sure she had a fool-proof way of winning the who gets to shower first and have all the hot water game, which meant being really sure she could cheat before she made any other stupid suggestions about fairness.
Countdown
It was freezing.
Kara stood shivering at the entrance to their outdoor shower, cursing silently under her breath. Of course the gods-damned ocean we found and settled on wouldn't be tropical, would it? It was cold and the wind was intense, lashing at her with increasing fervor. She was wrapped up in a bathrobe that was too big for her--it was Sam's--and she looked over angrily at the back of her house. "Frak both of you," she said, eyes narrowed. "This is so unfair."
The back of the house was still shrouded with a tarp, but there was wood now that formed a very crude back wall because the cold was starting to be a problem. Kara knew they were luckier than a lot of people, but right now, she didn't care. "Why isn't this frakking shower inside?" she snapped, fingers pulling at the tie to her robe without actually undoing it. Frak, it was cold.
"We're lucky to have a shower at all, Thrace," Sam called back at her from behind the section of tarp that functioned as a door. He pulled it open and peered out at her. "Come on, hurry up. Dinner will be ready when you're done. Just get in and get it over with."
Kara ignored that and turned her attention back to the shower. The water was not nearly hot enough for showering outside in this weather, and she glared at it hotly as if that was going to make the water any less lukewarm. "This is stupid. You ever heard of ladies first, you jackasses?" she snapped, looking back over her shoulder through the tangle of her windblown hair.
"Sure. You find a lady, we'll let her go first," Sam said, grinning.
Kara heard a snort of laughter behind him--Leoben--and actually stomped her foot. "Maybe if Leoben didn't take so long in the shower, I'd still have some frakking hot water--"
"Maybe if you stopped arguing, you'd have some yourself. Kara," Leoben said, infinitely calm, his head appearing next to Sam in the small doorway. "You're the one that suggested we do this--how did she say it, Sam?"
"Fairly, by drawing cards to see who got to go first--"
"Which, of course, she only did because she thought she could cheat and we wouldn't notice--" Leoben was grinning now, an expression that always made Kara want to punch him in the face, because it was usually at her expense.
Or Sam's, but that wasn't important at the moment.
What was important was that, in about four minutes, the water would turn icy cold and she'd have no shower at all. And since Leoben and Sam had both had one, she'd end up dirty and looking like a chicken, which was not going to happen, she had a reputation, here. "Fine. Fine. I hate you both. Someone count to three." She started bouncing on her feet, her fingers clutching the tie of the robe, staring with determination at the shower waiting with its rapidly cooling water. I can do this. I found Earth. Frakking stupid, frozen Earth--
"One--"
"Two--" Leoben added, which would have made Kara laugh if she'd been feeling anything other than outrage, and then she heard Sam say--
"Three!"
--And she tore off her robe in a flash, jumping into the shower, shrieking at the cold air on her skin and the not-warm-enough water hitting her like a punch to the gut.
The worst part was, she could hear Sam and Leoben's laughter as she grabbed blindly for the soap. Next time she was going to make sure she had a fool-proof way of winning the who gets to shower first and have all the hot water game, which meant being really sure she could cheat before she made any other stupid suggestions about fairness.