true_writers 23.D.5 "Backup"
This is an AU!Earth-verse response.
"I'm not going."
Sam leaned against the counter, rolling his eyes at his wife. "Kara, you're being ridiculous," he said, sipping at his morning coffee. "You know you have to go. You're in the military."
Kara crossed her arms and gave him one of her patented you're a frakking moron, idiot, glares and said sharply, "That doesn't mean I have to attend every stupid ceremony we have, you know."
"Yes, I know that," Sam said patiently, hiding a smile in his coffee because she looked so completely irate but also kind of hot, with her hair still down and her uniform half-on. "But this isn't just any ceremony, you know."
"Yeah, well, the last time I went to a ceremony, the world blew up," Kara snapped, and Sam did laugh at that, not because genocide was particularly funny, but just because Kara was being so...Kara.
"Baby, you've been to ceremonies since then--"
"Oh, yes, the ground-breaking on New Caprica! That was so much better, Sam, thanks for reminding me--"
"And," he said, talking louder, "This one is in your honor, so you pretty much have to go."
Kara put a ponytail holder in her mouth and yanked her hair up off her neck. "Frak off," she muttered, the sound muffled by the elastic clenched between her teeth. She was pulling so hard at her hair, Sam almost winced in sympathy. She twisted the ponytail holder expertly and then said testily, "Besides, it's stupid. Thrace Point? Why do we have to name it after me?"
"Because you found Earth?" Sam said, very patiently. "Remember that?"
"Yup. Dead planet, no people, most of us are freezing without heat, and a lot of people died in the fight against the Cylons. I remember. Tell me again why we have to name anything after me, never mind a stupid sandbar with a frakking beacon--"
"Because," Sam said, shaking his head. "Despite what you seem to think, people are glad to be here."
"No one likes me that much," Kara muttered, shrugging into the rest of her uniform. "You know they don't."
"Because you make it so easy," Sam teased, laughing as she glared at him again and eyed his coffee mug with speculation. "Don't even think about it. You already broke Leoben's favorite one when you did the dishes the other night."
Leoben walked in at that, eyeing Kara's angry face, Sam's amused one, and the coffee cup for several seconds. "She doesn't want to go?" he guessed, deftly picking up Sam's now-empty mug as he passed by. Sam didn't say anything. When you were sharing the same partner, a coffee mug didn't seem like such a big deal.
"Nope."
"You helped me find Earth," Kara said, pointing at Leoben, who was calmly filling up his coffee. "Why don't they name something after you, like, Conoy Cove?"
Sam snorted.
"That's not really my name," Leoben said patiently, sipping his coffee. "I just made it up when I was in Caprica. Besides, I was directly involved in the Cylon attacks on the Twelve Colonies, pardon or no. I don't think that gets me anything named after me, do you?"
Kara ignored that. "Are you going?" she demanded, looking at Leoben. "I know Sam is, but he likes stupid things like this--"
"--Oh, sorry, I guess I just happen to be proud of my wife," Sam interjected, giving Leoben a long-suffering look behind Kara's back.
Leoben actually looked sympathetically at him before turning his gaze back to Kara. "It depends if you want me to go or not," he said, pausing with the coffee raised halfway to his mouth. "If it would cause some problem for you, then I will stay home."
Sam blinked, surprised. He'd talked to Leoben about the ceremony last night while Kara had been in the shower, and Leoben had said he was going to go, so why was he saying now that he wasn't...?
"That's stupid, Leoben," Kara said, marching up to him. She grabbed his coffee mug and took a drink, then slammed it down on the counter, coffee spilling over the side. "Of course I want you there. I'm not ashamed of you. Do you think I care if people start talking? Maybe they'll just be so horrified I showed up with my husband and my boyfriend that they'll call the whole frakking thing off."
"I don't think they'll do that." Leoben wiped up the coffee spill with a towel. "But if you want me to go, then I"ll go." He smiled down at her, then took the coffee mug and walked around her to stand next to Sam. "We'll meet you there, won't we, Sam?"
Sam, for his part, was trying not to laugh as he nodded in assent. Leoben was a manipulative bastard, and Kara, with her usual hot temper, didn't even notice half the time that she'd been played.
"Fine," Kara muttered, then paused to kiss Sam on the mouth, warm and tasting of coffee. "But pick up some beer on your way back. I'm going to need it. You both know how much I hate shit like this." She didn't kiss Leoben, that wasn't their thing, but she met his gaze for a long moment and then rubbed her thumb once over his bottom lip, and then she was gone.
"Thanks for the backup, there," Sam said, amused, once he was sure she was out of the house. "I was going to just resort to the old, I double-dare you to go tactic. Yours was much more subtle"
"Yes, well. She'll realize what I did halfway there and get mad about it later."
Sam laughed, shaking his head. "But she'll still be there." He grinned.
"She'll still be there," Leoben agreed, and smiled back.
"I'm not going."
Sam leaned against the counter, rolling his eyes at his wife. "Kara, you're being ridiculous," he said, sipping at his morning coffee. "You know you have to go. You're in the military."
Kara crossed her arms and gave him one of her patented you're a frakking moron, idiot, glares and said sharply, "That doesn't mean I have to attend every stupid ceremony we have, you know."
"Yes, I know that," Sam said patiently, hiding a smile in his coffee because she looked so completely irate but also kind of hot, with her hair still down and her uniform half-on. "But this isn't just any ceremony, you know."
"Yeah, well, the last time I went to a ceremony, the world blew up," Kara snapped, and Sam did laugh at that, not because genocide was particularly funny, but just because Kara was being so...Kara.
"Baby, you've been to ceremonies since then--"
"Oh, yes, the ground-breaking on New Caprica! That was so much better, Sam, thanks for reminding me--"
"And," he said, talking louder, "This one is in your honor, so you pretty much have to go."
Kara put a ponytail holder in her mouth and yanked her hair up off her neck. "Frak off," she muttered, the sound muffled by the elastic clenched between her teeth. She was pulling so hard at her hair, Sam almost winced in sympathy. She twisted the ponytail holder expertly and then said testily, "Besides, it's stupid. Thrace Point? Why do we have to name it after me?"
"Because you found Earth?" Sam said, very patiently. "Remember that?"
"Yup. Dead planet, no people, most of us are freezing without heat, and a lot of people died in the fight against the Cylons. I remember. Tell me again why we have to name anything after me, never mind a stupid sandbar with a frakking beacon--"
"Because," Sam said, shaking his head. "Despite what you seem to think, people are glad to be here."
"No one likes me that much," Kara muttered, shrugging into the rest of her uniform. "You know they don't."
"Because you make it so easy," Sam teased, laughing as she glared at him again and eyed his coffee mug with speculation. "Don't even think about it. You already broke Leoben's favorite one when you did the dishes the other night."
Leoben walked in at that, eyeing Kara's angry face, Sam's amused one, and the coffee cup for several seconds. "She doesn't want to go?" he guessed, deftly picking up Sam's now-empty mug as he passed by. Sam didn't say anything. When you were sharing the same partner, a coffee mug didn't seem like such a big deal.
"Nope."
"You helped me find Earth," Kara said, pointing at Leoben, who was calmly filling up his coffee. "Why don't they name something after you, like, Conoy Cove?"
Sam snorted.
"That's not really my name," Leoben said patiently, sipping his coffee. "I just made it up when I was in Caprica. Besides, I was directly involved in the Cylon attacks on the Twelve Colonies, pardon or no. I don't think that gets me anything named after me, do you?"
Kara ignored that. "Are you going?" she demanded, looking at Leoben. "I know Sam is, but he likes stupid things like this--"
"--Oh, sorry, I guess I just happen to be proud of my wife," Sam interjected, giving Leoben a long-suffering look behind Kara's back.
Leoben actually looked sympathetically at him before turning his gaze back to Kara. "It depends if you want me to go or not," he said, pausing with the coffee raised halfway to his mouth. "If it would cause some problem for you, then I will stay home."
Sam blinked, surprised. He'd talked to Leoben about the ceremony last night while Kara had been in the shower, and Leoben had said he was going to go, so why was he saying now that he wasn't...?
"That's stupid, Leoben," Kara said, marching up to him. She grabbed his coffee mug and took a drink, then slammed it down on the counter, coffee spilling over the side. "Of course I want you there. I'm not ashamed of you. Do you think I care if people start talking? Maybe they'll just be so horrified I showed up with my husband and my boyfriend that they'll call the whole frakking thing off."
"I don't think they'll do that." Leoben wiped up the coffee spill with a towel. "But if you want me to go, then I"ll go." He smiled down at her, then took the coffee mug and walked around her to stand next to Sam. "We'll meet you there, won't we, Sam?"
Sam, for his part, was trying not to laugh as he nodded in assent. Leoben was a manipulative bastard, and Kara, with her usual hot temper, didn't even notice half the time that she'd been played.
"Fine," Kara muttered, then paused to kiss Sam on the mouth, warm and tasting of coffee. "But pick up some beer on your way back. I'm going to need it. You both know how much I hate shit like this." She didn't kiss Leoben, that wasn't their thing, but she met his gaze for a long moment and then rubbed her thumb once over his bottom lip, and then she was gone.
"Thanks for the backup, there," Sam said, amused, once he was sure she was out of the house. "I was going to just resort to the old, I double-dare you to go tactic. Yours was much more subtle"
"Yes, well. She'll realize what I did halfway there and get mad about it later."
Sam laughed, shaking his head. "But she'll still be there." He grinned.
"She'll still be there," Leoben agreed, and smiled back.