Summer Nights (10/?)
Title: Summer Nights (10/?)
Author: Nytel
Rating: NC-17 (or at least it will be)
Spoilers: Nada. It's a pre-mini AU fic.
Pairing: Kara/Lee
Genre: Romance
Summary: Neither of them had been expecting anything other than a normal summer break.
Word Count: 2,295
Beta:
nebakanezer
Disclaimer: I am merely borrowing them. No copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: Sorry for the delay in this chapter. I thought my work trip was going to happen, so I was all busy getting ready for it.... And then it got postponed again. I will likely be gone starting Monday though. (Of course, who knows, it could be delayed again.)
Previous Chapters
Chapter 10
The next few days were torture on Lee: it seemed like no matter how hard he tried, he could not get any alone time with Kara. It was as if everywhere he turned, Michael was there. What was worse was that he couldn’t even take solace in their runs, because the torrential downpour continued on relentlessly. And if by chance he did find himself with a Michael free moment, Kara was at work. He was getting all too tired of his bad luck.
He felt bad, not wanting to spend time with Michael, especially since that was one of the main reasons he’d come to the Thrace house in the first place, but at the same time he probably wasn’t feeling bad enough, because all he could think about was Kara. Now that there was this… something, going on between them, there was no way he could convince his mind that thinking about her was off limits. Which meant he did think about her, a lot. It was crazy, and beyond insane, but on top of that, he was also happier than he remembered being in a long time.
Lee was pulled from his thoughts by a knock on the closed door to the guest room. He set down the book that he hadn’t really been reading and checked his watch quickly, disappointed to see that it was only eight o’clock; there was no way Kara was back from work yet.
“Hey,” he said lightly as he pulled open the door to reveal his best friend. Michael smiled at him, holding up a rented movie in his hand. Lee noticed that his blonde hair was wet and he smiled. “You braved the rain?”
Michael nodded and passed the movie to Lee. “Yeah, it’s still nuts out there. But the news said something about it maybe letting up tomorrow. Crazy Delphi weather, hey?”
Lee laughed lightly. “Yeah, it’s one thing I don’t miss about living here.” He briefly skimmed over the description on the back of the movie case. He thought that he might have maybe seen a preview for it a while back, but he’d never watched it.
“You seen it?” Michael teased, knowing full well that the chances were minimal.
“No,” Lee said, shaking his head as he walked out of the guest room and towards the stairs, Michael following behind him. “It looks good though.”
“Yeah,” Michael said from behind him. “Someone I know from school told me it was great, but I haven’t seen it yet either.”
It wasn’t long before they had made some popcorn, grabbed a few beers from their seemingly endless supply and sunk into the plush couch, getting comfortable.
Lee kicked his feet up onto the coffee table and leaned back, relaxing, as the previews popped up onto the screen. He wasn’t really all that focused on them, but he was still surprised when Michael spoke up. Normally he loved to watch movies in complete silence. “Lee, can I ask you something?” He sounded almost unsure, which was enough to completely draw Lee’s attention away from the screen and towards his friend.
“Sure,” Lee replied honestly, wracking his brain, wondering what this might be about.
“It’s about Kara,” Michael added slowly, and for a second Lee’s heart began beating at double its normal rate. Michael couldn’t know, could he? They’d only had sex once, not at the house, and since then there may have been furtive looks and suggestive glances, but he’d thought they’d kept them unnoticed.
“Okay,” Lee said, forcing his voice to remain calm. It was only then that he realized he was clutching his beer bottle much more tightly than was necessary. Worried about possibly dropping it, Lee set the bottle down on the coffee table, forcing his hand to let go.
The previews before the movie were still playing, but Lee was so focused on Michael that he barely heard the noise in the background. “What you said, the other day in the kitchen…” Lee felt relief wash over him and his muscles instantly relaxed, though none of his attention faded. “What were you talking about? You said something about Kara’s mom, and my how my dad did the right thing.”
Initially Lee had planned to finish the conversation he’d started with Michael that morning in the kitchen, but then he’d … well, he’d lost his nerve. He had a hunch that Michael didn’t know the whole truth, and that if he did his relationship with Kara would be quite different. The thing Lee loved most about his family was his good relationship with his brother. He was sure that Michael and Kara could have the same type of thing if only they were both on the same page.
Explaining things to Michael had seemed entirely logical until he realized that maybe Kara didn’t really want him to know. Certainly if she did, she could have told him herself. But then the other part of his brain argued that Kara wasn’t the type of person to try and fix something like that on her own, not if she was the only person hurting because of it. Since then he’d debated over what to do, but with Michael now asking, Lee’s choice had been made for him.
Lee took a deep breath, trying to figure out how it would be best to proceed. “What do you know about Kara’s mom?” He asked after a moment, settling with simplicity.
Michael shrugged. “My dad met her in some bar. They hooked up and then a bunch of years later they ran into each other, and Kara was there.”
Lee nodded. “But what do you know about her mom, about what kind of person she was?”
Michael looked at him in confusion. “Why?”
“Did you ever wonder why your dad fought her for custody?” He asked, looking at Michael intently.
From the look on Michael’s face Lee could see the thought had never crossed his friend’s mind. “I thought he just…”
“Wanted to take a twelve year old girl away from her mother?” Lee asked.
Michael almost winced. “Well, when you say it like that it sounds slightly ridiculous.”
“Yeah,” Lee agreed, still staring at his friend.
“Well then why did my dad…?”
Lee sighed. “Come on, Michael. You have great parents, but that doesn’t mean you don’t know that bad parents don’t exist, people who should never have kids.”
Michael looked at Lee strangely for a moment before speaking cautiously. “Wait, does that mean…? Are you saying that Kara’s mom was…?”
“One of those people.” Lee nodded. “Yeah.”
Michael seemed unsure. “I don’t know, Lee. I’ve never heard my dad or Kara say anything about that. Are you sure you understood what she was saying?”
“Michael, trust me, I understood her perfectly.” Lee watched Michael closely for a moment, and then he couldn’t help but add. “She’s your sister.” It was so hard to believe that his friend was entirely oblivious to everything involving Kara.
Michael stared at Lee oddly. “Yeah, I’m aware of that.”
“Are you?” Lee asked, finding himself suddenly defensive on Kara’s behalf. “Because if I didn’t know, I probably wouldn’t have guessed it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the fact that you pretty much ignore her unless you can’t get away with it, how you introduce her to everyone as your half-sister, and how I’m pretty sure I know her at least ten times better than you and I’ve only spent a few weeks with her in my entire life.”
Michael rolled his eyes and laughed it off. “Come on, Lee, that’s ridiculous. I know Kara…”
“Really?” Lee asked. “Do you know what kind of movies she likes? What kinds of books she reads? Why she decided to become a pilot? That she’s one of the top first year pilots in all of the colonies? That your dad taught her how to play the piano and he told her she’s a natural at it? That she was in a band in high school?”
From the look on Michael’s face it was obvious that most of that, if not all of it was news to him.
Lee took a deep breath, realizing he’d gotten really worked up. “Michael, I know that your parents were thinking about getting back together up until the point where Kara was in the picture. I know that you wanted that, but the fact that they didn’t isn’t Kara’s fault. You’re holding a grudge, whether you realize it or not, and it’s not fair to her.”
Michael suddenly looked angry. “What the hell, Lee? Where is this coming from? Did you suddenly declare yourself her champion or something?”
Lee shook his head. “No. But I’m your friend, and I’m her friend. And I wish that the two of you could have the kind of relationship I have with Zak. You guys are both missing out on it.”
Michael looked away from Lee to glare at the television, obviously angry. “You have no idea what you’re talking about, okay? I’m not holding some stupid grudge. I know Kara. End of story.”
Lee returned his attention to the movie as well, but he wasn’t really seeing it. He wondered if he’d gone too far, or if maybe, he’d said just enough. Michael was like Lee in the fact that he hated admitting he was wrong, and for him to admit being wrong about something this big… it would take a lot.
***
Kara slammed her truck door shut and dashed through the mud and rain to the porch, making it in record time, thankfully without slipping. She’d left work early since it was extremely slow. Apparently the weather had everyone holed up inside their houses, not wanting to leave until it relented. That was fine by her.
What she was really hoping for now was to find Lee in the house, alone, with her brother having disappeared off somewhere. The chances of that happening were more than slim, but it had been days since the lake, and Kara was nearly going insane. To say that she wanted Lee again would be an understatement, and somehow his unattainability only made her want him more. She’d even dreamed about him the night before, not that in a million years she’d tell him so. And when she’d woken up, more turned on than she thought possible, it killed her knowing that he was sleeping one room over and sneaking in to ravish him in the middle of the night was not an option.
The moment she pushed open the back door and walked into the boot room, what little hope she had was dashed as she heard the sounds of a movie playing in the living room. Feeling slightly less happy to be off work, Kara kicked off her now muddy shoes, hung up her coat and headed into the living room.
The lights were dimmed almost all the way, but she could still see Lee turn his head and look at her. “Hey,” he said, smiling.
She couldn’t help but smile back. “Hey.”
“Did you get off early?” He asked quietly, probably knowing her brother’s low tolerance for talking during films.
She nodded. “Yeah. The place was pretty much dead.” She paused for a moment, wanting to say something else, but then didn’t because of the third person in the room. “I’ll see you later,” she added before heading for the staircase.
She had one foot on the lowest stair when she heard Michael say her name. “Kara?”
Surprised, she turned to face the couch in the faint light. “Yeah?”
Michael had paused the movie and was looking at her oddly. Suddenly she wondered if he was having a stroke or something. “Do you want to watch?” He asked, his voice casual. “We didn’t start that long ago, and I’m sure Lee or I could fill you in.”
Kara didn’t respond immediately, waiting for whatever was supposed to come after that: a joke, a derogatory comment, something. But nothing followed.
“Um, okay,” she said hesitantly. “I’m just going to go change.”
She dashed upstairs, threw on some sweats and a light sweater, and when she came back down she found that the movie was still paused, and Michael was indeed waiting for her. Lee moved over, making room for her on the couch and she sat. When she looked at Lee, the smile on his face was impossible to miss. It looked like he might be trying to hold it back, but if that was the case he wasn’t succeeding.
Michael gave her a quick synopsis of what had happened before hitting play. Then he surprised her even more by passing her the popcorn bowl, which she accepted.
“Um, thanks,” she whispered, and Michael muttered something back.
A few moments later she turned her head to look at Lee; the smile was still in place. Leaning over she whispered into his ear, doing her best to fight her body’s reaction to his close proximity. “What did you say to him?” It was too much of a coincidence that just days after she’d told Lee everything her brother was suddenly being nice to her.
Lee shook his head, the movement minimal. “Nothing,” he replied, whispering back at her, his lips lightly brushing her ear.
She shivered and hoped Lee hadn’t noticed. “Liar,” she retorted, making sure her lips made contact with the sensitive skin of his ear as well.
Letting it go for the moment, Kara sat back against the couch and watched the movie. She didn’t know what to make of this change. It surprised her, how pleased she was to have her brother acknowledging her existence, but she didn’t know that she necessarily liked the reason why.
TBC
Author: Nytel
Rating: NC-17 (or at least it will be)
Spoilers: Nada. It's a pre-mini AU fic.
Pairing: Kara/Lee
Genre: Romance
Summary: Neither of them had been expecting anything other than a normal summer break.
Word Count: 2,295
Beta:
nebakanezer
Disclaimer: I am merely borrowing them. No copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: Sorry for the delay in this chapter. I thought my work trip was going to happen, so I was all busy getting ready for it.... And then it got postponed again. I will likely be gone starting Monday though. (Of course, who knows, it could be delayed again.)
Previous Chapters
Chapter 10
The next few days were torture on Lee: it seemed like no matter how hard he tried, he could not get any alone time with Kara. It was as if everywhere he turned, Michael was there. What was worse was that he couldn’t even take solace in their runs, because the torrential downpour continued on relentlessly. And if by chance he did find himself with a Michael free moment, Kara was at work. He was getting all too tired of his bad luck.
He felt bad, not wanting to spend time with Michael, especially since that was one of the main reasons he’d come to the Thrace house in the first place, but at the same time he probably wasn’t feeling bad enough, because all he could think about was Kara. Now that there was this… something, going on between them, there was no way he could convince his mind that thinking about her was off limits. Which meant he did think about her, a lot. It was crazy, and beyond insane, but on top of that, he was also happier than he remembered being in a long time.
Lee was pulled from his thoughts by a knock on the closed door to the guest room. He set down the book that he hadn’t really been reading and checked his watch quickly, disappointed to see that it was only eight o’clock; there was no way Kara was back from work yet.
“Hey,” he said lightly as he pulled open the door to reveal his best friend. Michael smiled at him, holding up a rented movie in his hand. Lee noticed that his blonde hair was wet and he smiled. “You braved the rain?”
Michael nodded and passed the movie to Lee. “Yeah, it’s still nuts out there. But the news said something about it maybe letting up tomorrow. Crazy Delphi weather, hey?”
Lee laughed lightly. “Yeah, it’s one thing I don’t miss about living here.” He briefly skimmed over the description on the back of the movie case. He thought that he might have maybe seen a preview for it a while back, but he’d never watched it.
“You seen it?” Michael teased, knowing full well that the chances were minimal.
“No,” Lee said, shaking his head as he walked out of the guest room and towards the stairs, Michael following behind him. “It looks good though.”
“Yeah,” Michael said from behind him. “Someone I know from school told me it was great, but I haven’t seen it yet either.”
It wasn’t long before they had made some popcorn, grabbed a few beers from their seemingly endless supply and sunk into the plush couch, getting comfortable.
Lee kicked his feet up onto the coffee table and leaned back, relaxing, as the previews popped up onto the screen. He wasn’t really all that focused on them, but he was still surprised when Michael spoke up. Normally he loved to watch movies in complete silence. “Lee, can I ask you something?” He sounded almost unsure, which was enough to completely draw Lee’s attention away from the screen and towards his friend.
“Sure,” Lee replied honestly, wracking his brain, wondering what this might be about.
“It’s about Kara,” Michael added slowly, and for a second Lee’s heart began beating at double its normal rate. Michael couldn’t know, could he? They’d only had sex once, not at the house, and since then there may have been furtive looks and suggestive glances, but he’d thought they’d kept them unnoticed.
“Okay,” Lee said, forcing his voice to remain calm. It was only then that he realized he was clutching his beer bottle much more tightly than was necessary. Worried about possibly dropping it, Lee set the bottle down on the coffee table, forcing his hand to let go.
The previews before the movie were still playing, but Lee was so focused on Michael that he barely heard the noise in the background. “What you said, the other day in the kitchen…” Lee felt relief wash over him and his muscles instantly relaxed, though none of his attention faded. “What were you talking about? You said something about Kara’s mom, and my how my dad did the right thing.”
Initially Lee had planned to finish the conversation he’d started with Michael that morning in the kitchen, but then he’d … well, he’d lost his nerve. He had a hunch that Michael didn’t know the whole truth, and that if he did his relationship with Kara would be quite different. The thing Lee loved most about his family was his good relationship with his brother. He was sure that Michael and Kara could have the same type of thing if only they were both on the same page.
Explaining things to Michael had seemed entirely logical until he realized that maybe Kara didn’t really want him to know. Certainly if she did, she could have told him herself. But then the other part of his brain argued that Kara wasn’t the type of person to try and fix something like that on her own, not if she was the only person hurting because of it. Since then he’d debated over what to do, but with Michael now asking, Lee’s choice had been made for him.
Lee took a deep breath, trying to figure out how it would be best to proceed. “What do you know about Kara’s mom?” He asked after a moment, settling with simplicity.
Michael shrugged. “My dad met her in some bar. They hooked up and then a bunch of years later they ran into each other, and Kara was there.”
Lee nodded. “But what do you know about her mom, about what kind of person she was?”
Michael looked at him in confusion. “Why?”
“Did you ever wonder why your dad fought her for custody?” He asked, looking at Michael intently.
From the look on Michael’s face Lee could see the thought had never crossed his friend’s mind. “I thought he just…”
“Wanted to take a twelve year old girl away from her mother?” Lee asked.
Michael almost winced. “Well, when you say it like that it sounds slightly ridiculous.”
“Yeah,” Lee agreed, still staring at his friend.
“Well then why did my dad…?”
Lee sighed. “Come on, Michael. You have great parents, but that doesn’t mean you don’t know that bad parents don’t exist, people who should never have kids.”
Michael looked at Lee strangely for a moment before speaking cautiously. “Wait, does that mean…? Are you saying that Kara’s mom was…?”
“One of those people.” Lee nodded. “Yeah.”
Michael seemed unsure. “I don’t know, Lee. I’ve never heard my dad or Kara say anything about that. Are you sure you understood what she was saying?”
“Michael, trust me, I understood her perfectly.” Lee watched Michael closely for a moment, and then he couldn’t help but add. “She’s your sister.” It was so hard to believe that his friend was entirely oblivious to everything involving Kara.
Michael stared at Lee oddly. “Yeah, I’m aware of that.”
“Are you?” Lee asked, finding himself suddenly defensive on Kara’s behalf. “Because if I didn’t know, I probably wouldn’t have guessed it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the fact that you pretty much ignore her unless you can’t get away with it, how you introduce her to everyone as your half-sister, and how I’m pretty sure I know her at least ten times better than you and I’ve only spent a few weeks with her in my entire life.”
Michael rolled his eyes and laughed it off. “Come on, Lee, that’s ridiculous. I know Kara…”
“Really?” Lee asked. “Do you know what kind of movies she likes? What kinds of books she reads? Why she decided to become a pilot? That she’s one of the top first year pilots in all of the colonies? That your dad taught her how to play the piano and he told her she’s a natural at it? That she was in a band in high school?”
From the look on Michael’s face it was obvious that most of that, if not all of it was news to him.
Lee took a deep breath, realizing he’d gotten really worked up. “Michael, I know that your parents were thinking about getting back together up until the point where Kara was in the picture. I know that you wanted that, but the fact that they didn’t isn’t Kara’s fault. You’re holding a grudge, whether you realize it or not, and it’s not fair to her.”
Michael suddenly looked angry. “What the hell, Lee? Where is this coming from? Did you suddenly declare yourself her champion or something?”
Lee shook his head. “No. But I’m your friend, and I’m her friend. And I wish that the two of you could have the kind of relationship I have with Zak. You guys are both missing out on it.”
Michael looked away from Lee to glare at the television, obviously angry. “You have no idea what you’re talking about, okay? I’m not holding some stupid grudge. I know Kara. End of story.”
Lee returned his attention to the movie as well, but he wasn’t really seeing it. He wondered if he’d gone too far, or if maybe, he’d said just enough. Michael was like Lee in the fact that he hated admitting he was wrong, and for him to admit being wrong about something this big… it would take a lot.
***
Kara slammed her truck door shut and dashed through the mud and rain to the porch, making it in record time, thankfully without slipping. She’d left work early since it was extremely slow. Apparently the weather had everyone holed up inside their houses, not wanting to leave until it relented. That was fine by her.
What she was really hoping for now was to find Lee in the house, alone, with her brother having disappeared off somewhere. The chances of that happening were more than slim, but it had been days since the lake, and Kara was nearly going insane. To say that she wanted Lee again would be an understatement, and somehow his unattainability only made her want him more. She’d even dreamed about him the night before, not that in a million years she’d tell him so. And when she’d woken up, more turned on than she thought possible, it killed her knowing that he was sleeping one room over and sneaking in to ravish him in the middle of the night was not an option.
The moment she pushed open the back door and walked into the boot room, what little hope she had was dashed as she heard the sounds of a movie playing in the living room. Feeling slightly less happy to be off work, Kara kicked off her now muddy shoes, hung up her coat and headed into the living room.
The lights were dimmed almost all the way, but she could still see Lee turn his head and look at her. “Hey,” he said, smiling.
She couldn’t help but smile back. “Hey.”
“Did you get off early?” He asked quietly, probably knowing her brother’s low tolerance for talking during films.
She nodded. “Yeah. The place was pretty much dead.” She paused for a moment, wanting to say something else, but then didn’t because of the third person in the room. “I’ll see you later,” she added before heading for the staircase.
She had one foot on the lowest stair when she heard Michael say her name. “Kara?”
Surprised, she turned to face the couch in the faint light. “Yeah?”
Michael had paused the movie and was looking at her oddly. Suddenly she wondered if he was having a stroke or something. “Do you want to watch?” He asked, his voice casual. “We didn’t start that long ago, and I’m sure Lee or I could fill you in.”
Kara didn’t respond immediately, waiting for whatever was supposed to come after that: a joke, a derogatory comment, something. But nothing followed.
“Um, okay,” she said hesitantly. “I’m just going to go change.”
She dashed upstairs, threw on some sweats and a light sweater, and when she came back down she found that the movie was still paused, and Michael was indeed waiting for her. Lee moved over, making room for her on the couch and she sat. When she looked at Lee, the smile on his face was impossible to miss. It looked like he might be trying to hold it back, but if that was the case he wasn’t succeeding.
Michael gave her a quick synopsis of what had happened before hitting play. Then he surprised her even more by passing her the popcorn bowl, which she accepted.
“Um, thanks,” she whispered, and Michael muttered something back.
A few moments later she turned her head to look at Lee; the smile was still in place. Leaning over she whispered into his ear, doing her best to fight her body’s reaction to his close proximity. “What did you say to him?” It was too much of a coincidence that just days after she’d told Lee everything her brother was suddenly being nice to her.
Lee shook his head, the movement minimal. “Nothing,” he replied, whispering back at her, his lips lightly brushing her ear.
She shivered and hoped Lee hadn’t noticed. “Liar,” she retorted, making sure her lips made contact with the sensitive skin of his ear as well.
Letting it go for the moment, Kara sat back against the couch and watched the movie. She didn’t know what to make of this change. It surprised her, how pleased she was to have her brother acknowledging her existence, but she didn’t know that she necessarily liked the reason why.
TBC