[Interlude (AU!Verse) true_writers prompt: "Defiance"]
This is set in the AU!Earth!Verse and timewise, occurring right after Kara leaves for her girls night out with Sharon. Sam here is notmyfate.
Defiance
A few hours after Kara left, Sam and Leoben finished their preliminary sketches for the indoor bathroom and the back wall of the house. Sam had finally, finally stopped arguing with him every two seconds ("that's not even possible to do that with wires, Leoben,") and listened, and had eventually come around to Leoben's on idea on how to give the back wall insulation and protection from the elements without actually obstructing their very nice view of the ocean.
"You know, you're really good at this," Sam said around a yawn, stretching.
Leoben gave him a look. "You weren't saying that two hours ago," he said pointedly, gesturing to the pages and pages of discarded notes. "You said, actually, Leoben, I don't think your crazy Cylon brain works like other people's--"
"It doesn't," Sam interrupted him, flushing a bit. "But it works. You noticed we have the best house around here, right? I mean, a lot of people don't even have walls, and we almost have indoor plumbing."
"That wasn't all me," Leoben reminded him. "There are three of us, we've all worked hard." He paused. "Well. Kara, she...was more of a distraction than a help, but occasionally she was good at holding things."
Sam laughed at that. "Oh, man. You should say that when she's around to get pissed off at you for it. You know. The kind of pissed off she gets when you say things that are true."
Leoben smiled. "I may be strange, Sam, but I'm not an idiot. I try to keep that occurrence to a minimum."
Sam laughed and grinned at him, an expression Leoben rarely saw directed at him and found he rather liked. "Still," Sam said, standing up. "You should go talk to someone in administration. Seems like they could maybe use some help, y'know? Someone to plan things. You should see some of these schools. The Pyramid courts are the nicest things about them."
"Do you think they'd trust me enough to let me do that?" Leoben asked, cocking his head. "I'm a Cylon."
"They let me go teach kids, remember?"
"Yes, but you didn't help plan a genocide," Leoben said calmly, standing up as well. He paused, tensing, wondering if that would make Sam angry. "I would like something to do," he said quickly, not wanting to ruin what was a very pleasant interaction. Sam was like Kara, quick to anger, but he took a lot longer to cool off. Leoben was enjoying the relative companionship between them and he didn't want to ruin it by talking about things no one could change. "I could help, certainly, but they'd have to let me."
"You should go talk to Lee Adama." Sam picked up there beer bottles, headed towards the kitchen. "He doesn't have any reason to hate you, right?"
Leoben smiled. "No more than the rest of humanity, no. Unless he's angry at me over New Caprica, which is entirely possible. He never seems entirely comfortable around me."
"Leoben, Kara isn't even entirely comfortable around you. I think that's just you, man. And Lee wasn't even on New Caprica. If I've gotten over it, and Kara has--"
"Kara hasn't," Leoben said flatly, tired, not wanting to get into this.
Sam came back out of the kitchen and shrugged. He didn't look angry, which made Leoben relax somewhat. "No, but she has more of a reason not to."
"So do you." Leoben met his eyes calmly. "She is your wife. I took her from you, when you were sick and needed her."
"Yeah. And if I can get over it, so can he. That's my point."
Leoben smiled tightly. "And are you? Over it?"
Sam ran a hand through his hair. "Look. I--I know why you did it, okay? I understand you had to keep her alive, that you thought--and you were right--that she'd join up with the resistance and maybe die. And yeah, it still pisses me off that you kept her locked up, and the thing with the kid--I don't ever think she'll forgive you for that one."
"I know," Leoben said, sighing. "I don't know that I'll ever forgive me, either."
"That's the thing," Sam said, stepping closer. The hum of Cylon-awareness that Leoben always felt around Sam flared up, and Leoben realized that Sam was doing it on purpose, was trying to reach out with that bond that connected them both. "It's not like you liked it. Frak, Leoben, we all did a lot of stupid shit," he said succinctly. "She loves you. You love her. We're all here, and it's working, isn't it?"
"It would appear so, yes." Leoben took a step closer, the hum growing louder, tickling against the base of his spine.
"What are you doing?" Sam asked him, suddenly wary, but he wasn't moving away.
Leoben grinned, sudden and sharp. "That's not me. It's you. What are you doing?"
"I don't know." Sam blinked, looking uncomfortable but not exactly angry. "I just think if we can live together without freaking out about it all the gods-damned time, then so can Lee."
"Do you think it's strange you feel a far greater amount of antagonism towards him than you do to me?" Leoben asked Sam thoughtfully.
"Oh, I wanted to kill you after New Caprica. And on the Demetrius. And then again on Galactica, and probably once last week--why are you grinning at me? Gods, Leoben, sometimes I think you really are frakked in the head." Sam's expression was annoyed, but Leoben was still vibrating with whatever it was Sam was sending to him, and it occurred to him belatedly that Sam might not even be doing it consciously.
Interesting.
"It's nothing. My brain doesn't work like other people's, remember? Strange things amuse me."
That, of course, pissed Sam off. "Oh, so you think it's funny--" he started, getting in Leoben's space, and that, well, that was predictable Sam.
"No," Leoben said, putting his hand on Sam's shoulder. "Not that. That's not it at all." He kept his hand there, meeting Sam's eyes calmly, and watched. Sam calmed, and then Leoben felt that strange something flare between them again. "Thank you for the suggestion. I am getting somewhat restless with so little to do."
"And we wouldn't want that," Sam murmured, his voice oddly low, and he wasn't looking away, either.
Leoben shook his head. "No," he said softly. "No, we wouldn't. Want that."
Sam was still staring at him strangely, his face flushed. "Yeah. Okay." He seemed very much like he wanted to move away, but he didn't, but Leoben wasn't going to say a word.
Sam was not going to want to hear what Leoben was picking up from their connection, which was as strong as it had ever been.
"Kara'll be back soon. We better make sure there's nothing she can break in the way when she gets home."
Leoben smiled at that, thinking of Kara, and he was the one who stepped back first. Just to check, he said with feigned diffidence, "And that we're awake, you know how she gets when she's been drinking," and yes, there it was, Sam's desire for Kara something different and entirely separate from what Leoben had felt earlier.
Interesting, indeed.
"Yeah, I do," Sam grinned, then turned back towards the kitchen. "Just think about going to see Lee, okay?"
"Oh, I'll think about it," Leoben said with a grin Sam couldn't see. "Trust me."
Sam, picking up some of Leoben's sudden amusement, looked back over his shoulder. "You are seriously weird, you know that, right?"
Leoben didn't bother to answer that.
Defiance
A few hours after Kara left, Sam and Leoben finished their preliminary sketches for the indoor bathroom and the back wall of the house. Sam had finally, finally stopped arguing with him every two seconds ("that's not even possible to do that with wires, Leoben,") and listened, and had eventually come around to Leoben's on idea on how to give the back wall insulation and protection from the elements without actually obstructing their very nice view of the ocean.
"You know, you're really good at this," Sam said around a yawn, stretching.
Leoben gave him a look. "You weren't saying that two hours ago," he said pointedly, gesturing to the pages and pages of discarded notes. "You said, actually, Leoben, I don't think your crazy Cylon brain works like other people's--"
"It doesn't," Sam interrupted him, flushing a bit. "But it works. You noticed we have the best house around here, right? I mean, a lot of people don't even have walls, and we almost have indoor plumbing."
"That wasn't all me," Leoben reminded him. "There are three of us, we've all worked hard." He paused. "Well. Kara, she...was more of a distraction than a help, but occasionally she was good at holding things."
Sam laughed at that. "Oh, man. You should say that when she's around to get pissed off at you for it. You know. The kind of pissed off she gets when you say things that are true."
Leoben smiled. "I may be strange, Sam, but I'm not an idiot. I try to keep that occurrence to a minimum."
Sam laughed and grinned at him, an expression Leoben rarely saw directed at him and found he rather liked. "Still," Sam said, standing up. "You should go talk to someone in administration. Seems like they could maybe use some help, y'know? Someone to plan things. You should see some of these schools. The Pyramid courts are the nicest things about them."
"Do you think they'd trust me enough to let me do that?" Leoben asked, cocking his head. "I'm a Cylon."
"They let me go teach kids, remember?"
"Yes, but you didn't help plan a genocide," Leoben said calmly, standing up as well. He paused, tensing, wondering if that would make Sam angry. "I would like something to do," he said quickly, not wanting to ruin what was a very pleasant interaction. Sam was like Kara, quick to anger, but he took a lot longer to cool off. Leoben was enjoying the relative companionship between them and he didn't want to ruin it by talking about things no one could change. "I could help, certainly, but they'd have to let me."
"You should go talk to Lee Adama." Sam picked up there beer bottles, headed towards the kitchen. "He doesn't have any reason to hate you, right?"
Leoben smiled. "No more than the rest of humanity, no. Unless he's angry at me over New Caprica, which is entirely possible. He never seems entirely comfortable around me."
"Leoben, Kara isn't even entirely comfortable around you. I think that's just you, man. And Lee wasn't even on New Caprica. If I've gotten over it, and Kara has--"
"Kara hasn't," Leoben said flatly, tired, not wanting to get into this.
Sam came back out of the kitchen and shrugged. He didn't look angry, which made Leoben relax somewhat. "No, but she has more of a reason not to."
"So do you." Leoben met his eyes calmly. "She is your wife. I took her from you, when you were sick and needed her."
"Yeah. And if I can get over it, so can he. That's my point."
Leoben smiled tightly. "And are you? Over it?"
Sam ran a hand through his hair. "Look. I--I know why you did it, okay? I understand you had to keep her alive, that you thought--and you were right--that she'd join up with the resistance and maybe die. And yeah, it still pisses me off that you kept her locked up, and the thing with the kid--I don't ever think she'll forgive you for that one."
"I know," Leoben said, sighing. "I don't know that I'll ever forgive me, either."
"That's the thing," Sam said, stepping closer. The hum of Cylon-awareness that Leoben always felt around Sam flared up, and Leoben realized that Sam was doing it on purpose, was trying to reach out with that bond that connected them both. "It's not like you liked it. Frak, Leoben, we all did a lot of stupid shit," he said succinctly. "She loves you. You love her. We're all here, and it's working, isn't it?"
"It would appear so, yes." Leoben took a step closer, the hum growing louder, tickling against the base of his spine.
"What are you doing?" Sam asked him, suddenly wary, but he wasn't moving away.
Leoben grinned, sudden and sharp. "That's not me. It's you. What are you doing?"
"I don't know." Sam blinked, looking uncomfortable but not exactly angry. "I just think if we can live together without freaking out about it all the gods-damned time, then so can Lee."
"Do you think it's strange you feel a far greater amount of antagonism towards him than you do to me?" Leoben asked Sam thoughtfully.
"Oh, I wanted to kill you after New Caprica. And on the Demetrius. And then again on Galactica, and probably once last week--why are you grinning at me? Gods, Leoben, sometimes I think you really are frakked in the head." Sam's expression was annoyed, but Leoben was still vibrating with whatever it was Sam was sending to him, and it occurred to him belatedly that Sam might not even be doing it consciously.
Interesting.
"It's nothing. My brain doesn't work like other people's, remember? Strange things amuse me."
That, of course, pissed Sam off. "Oh, so you think it's funny--" he started, getting in Leoben's space, and that, well, that was predictable Sam.
"No," Leoben said, putting his hand on Sam's shoulder. "Not that. That's not it at all." He kept his hand there, meeting Sam's eyes calmly, and watched. Sam calmed, and then Leoben felt that strange something flare between them again. "Thank you for the suggestion. I am getting somewhat restless with so little to do."
"And we wouldn't want that," Sam murmured, his voice oddly low, and he wasn't looking away, either.
Leoben shook his head. "No," he said softly. "No, we wouldn't. Want that."
Sam was still staring at him strangely, his face flushed. "Yeah. Okay." He seemed very much like he wanted to move away, but he didn't, but Leoben wasn't going to say a word.
Sam was not going to want to hear what Leoben was picking up from their connection, which was as strong as it had ever been.
"Kara'll be back soon. We better make sure there's nothing she can break in the way when she gets home."
Leoben smiled at that, thinking of Kara, and he was the one who stepped back first. Just to check, he said with feigned diffidence, "And that we're awake, you know how she gets when she's been drinking," and yes, there it was, Sam's desire for Kara something different and entirely separate from what Leoben had felt earlier.
Interesting, indeed.
"Yeah, I do," Sam grinned, then turned back towards the kitchen. "Just think about going to see Lee, okay?"
"Oh, I'll think about it," Leoben said with a grin Sam couldn't see. "Trust me."
Sam, picking up some of Leoben's sudden amusement, looked back over his shoulder. "You are seriously weird, you know that, right?"
Leoben didn't bother to answer that.