Shivers in the Darkness, Pt 1, PG13word_vomityDecember 14 2011, 21:39:48 UTC
She shifts in the night, her body shuddering in the chilly Kobol air. She tries to burrow deeper into her flimsy blanket, but she's slept outdoors enough to know that there is no cure to a cold ground. Her shiver grabs Lee's attention. He's on watch for the next few hours and since the 'watch' so far had consisted of watching Kara sleep; he noticed immediately when she began tossing. He pulls his own blanket from his shoulders, eager as always to ease her discomfort. He catches himself before he reaches her though, hesitating, unsure whether the move would be met with derision or appreciation. He thinks back to her reaction to his confession to her earlier and doesn't think he can take her mocking again so soon. But he decides quickly just how little he cares when she shivers again and tries to curl even tighter into herself. It's too ingrained in him to protect her. She'd hate it if she knew just how deep the instinct lived inside him. He mind flashes to thoughts of his father and he feels a gnawing guilt that this is just another way in which the man would not approve of him. He pushes the nagging doubts away, unwilling to think about the man in a hospital bed on Galactica and all the things they'd said to each other before things had gone from bad to worse. Would he ever forgive his betrayals? Would he ever forgive this one?
Kara feels the slight weight of his blanket join hers as he rests it gently over her and then the heavy lay of his palm patting her hip like he's tucking in a child, as though his single hand could warm her by itself. Her lips tug into a soft smile at the gesture, but her back's to him and he can't see much in the darkness.
All he feels is a slight stiffening at the contact. When she feels the weight of him start to lift away from her, she reaches backwards on instinct to catch the departing hand and pull it to rest back on her hip. She hears a rueful chuckle as he realizes he's been caught, but he doesn't resist her when she continues to hold his fingers captive in hers.
"Won't you be cold?" She asks quietly, mindful of the other sleeping bodies littering the ground around them.
He leans over her, wanting to see her face. Her eyes are still shut, only the barest grin painting her mouth giving her away that she was awake. Smiling down at her little charade, he slides his hand from her hip to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
"Probably." He laughs, before reaching out to rub his hand up and down her arm, trying to offer what warmth he's able. He always forgets to care about his own needs when she's around. He always has.
She leans back into his touch letting her back rest against his legs behind her, turning onto her back she lifts the edge of the their blankets for him.
"C'mon." She urges. "I appreciate the extra layer, but we need body heat."
He hesitates for a moment, considering his father's disapproving glare before sliding underneath the ragged wool and wrapping himself around her. She lets him mold his frame around her, relishing the warmth he offers. His hands find hers somewhere in the folds of the fabric and hold on. Neither speaks for a few minutes, both just content to bask in the rarity of this closeness, but they are both thinking back to another time when they'd also held each other through a cold and lonely night. Zak's funeral. She wouldn't leave his grave that night, unable to bear the thought of him alone in the dirt and Lee wouldn't leave her. So they'd slept beside the man they both loved on the Caprican ground.
Re: Shivers in the Darkness, Pt 2, PG13word_vomityDecember 14 2011, 21:40:35 UTC
"I'm supposed to be on watch." He eventually whispers into her hair.
She shivers from more than the cold. In fact, she doesn’t feel very cold at all anymore.
"You are on watch." She says simply. "We'll both be on watch. We can be on watch like this."
"OK." He agrees, pulling her tighter against him. "You warmer?"
Nodding as he nuzzles into her neck, she laughs. "You could say that. You?"
"Now that I have my own personal furnace?" He jokes, ticking at her ribs, "Definitely."
Her whole body seizes at his contact with her belly, her muscles tense and her eyes squeeze shut in an obvious grimace.
"What the frak, Kara?!" He asks in panic, trying to get to whatever site the pain was coming from. But her hands hold him fast, resisting his motions.
"Wait?" She bites out through clenched teeth as she fights through the pain. "Just...hang on a sec."
He does as she asks, terrified to do anything else. She squeezes his hand tight until eventually breathing evened back out.
"Kara?" He ventures timidly. "Are you OK?"
A few shuddering breaths later, she nods. "I...Lee, you remember what you said yesterday? About if I needed to talk?"
"Yeah" He breathes against her temple, waiting...
"Well I..." She stumbles, before the soft squeeze of his fingers around hers gives her the strength to go on. "I wanna tell you about what happened on Caprica."
He's so relived at the words that he turns to drop a light kiss to her forehead.
She forces herself to keep going. "Most of it, you're not gonna like."
He takes a deep calming breath and steels himself for whatever might come next. "That doesn't matter. This isn't about me. You can tell me anything."
She wants the words to be true. She wants to believe him. But she needs to be sure.
"No takebacks, right?" She asks in a timid breath.
He agrees without a second thought, absolutely certain in his conviction. "No takebacks, Kara. Not ever."
For once, the words are enough and she believes him. Her story starts to pour out of her and each truth set free from the confines of her chest leaves her lighter than before. Even when she knows that some of the truths must be as painful for him to hear as for her to say, his grip never loosens. Later as they nod slowly off in each other's arms and despite the chill on the breeze, she drifts off with a new warmth inside her that no amount of cold can touch.
Re: Shivers in the Darkness, Pt 2, PG13scifishipperDecember 14 2011, 22:14:02 UTC
Oh! I really like that this moment led to her disclosing the events on Caprica. I always thought she'd want to tell him and this is the perfect opportunity. Awwww. I enjoyed it! <3
Re: Shivers in the Darkness, Pt 2, PG13word_vomityDecember 15 2011, 13:27:57 UTC
I love the image of them grieving over his grave together and Lee never leaving her no what it does to him. It's totally what she needed back then. Thank you!
Re: Shivers in the Darkness, Pt 2, PG13kdbleuDecember 15 2011, 16:44:20 UTC
and Lee never leaving her no what it does to him.
This is what really gets to me. The idea that it would hurt him so much to see her grieve Zak, anyone really, that way, but unable to make her go through that night alone.
Re: Shivers in the Darkness, Pt 2, PG13kl_shipper1December 14 2011, 22:16:05 UTC
I love pilots giving comfort to each other (and warming each other up), and you did this really nicely here. It seems like Kobol's a good place for supportive!pilots.
Re: Shivers in the Darkness, Pt 2, PG13aurora_0811December 15 2011, 03:45:34 UTC
*sigh* if only things had gone this way and Kara had opened up about Caprica. I love that nothing can shake Lee, he just wants to be there for her. Great job!
Kara feels the slight weight of his blanket join hers as he rests it gently over her and then the heavy lay of his palm patting her hip like he's tucking in a child, as though his single hand could warm her by itself. Her lips tug into a soft smile at the gesture, but her back's to him and he can't see much in the darkness.
All he feels is a slight stiffening at the contact. When she feels the weight of him start to lift away from her, she reaches backwards on instinct to catch the departing hand and pull it to rest back on her hip. She hears a rueful chuckle as he realizes he's been caught, but he doesn't resist her when she continues to hold his fingers captive in hers.
"Won't you be cold?" She asks quietly, mindful of the other sleeping bodies littering the ground around them.
He leans over her, wanting to see her face. Her eyes are still shut, only the barest grin painting her mouth giving her away that she was awake. Smiling down at her little charade, he slides his hand from her hip to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
"Probably." He laughs, before reaching out to rub his hand up and down her arm, trying to offer what warmth he's able. He always forgets to care about his own needs when she's around. He always has.
She leans back into his touch letting her back rest against his legs behind her, turning onto her back she lifts the edge of the their blankets for him.
"C'mon." She urges. "I appreciate the extra layer, but we need body heat."
He hesitates for a moment, considering his father's disapproving glare before sliding underneath the ragged wool and wrapping himself around her. She lets him mold his frame around her, relishing the warmth he offers. His hands find hers somewhere in the folds of the fabric and hold on. Neither speaks for a few minutes, both just content to bask in the rarity of this closeness, but they are both thinking back to another time when they'd also held each other through a cold and lonely night. Zak's funeral. She wouldn't leave his grave that night, unable to bear the thought of him alone in the dirt and Lee wouldn't leave her. So they'd slept beside the man they both loved on the Caprican ground.
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She shivers from more than the cold. In fact, she doesn’t feel very cold at all anymore.
"You are on watch." She says simply. "We'll both be on watch. We can be on watch like this."
"OK." He agrees, pulling her tighter against him. "You warmer?"
Nodding as he nuzzles into her neck, she laughs. "You could say that. You?"
"Now that I have my own personal furnace?" He jokes, ticking at her ribs, "Definitely."
Her whole body seizes at his contact with her belly, her muscles tense and her eyes
squeeze shut in an obvious grimace.
"What the frak, Kara?!" He asks in panic, trying to get to whatever site the pain was coming from. But her hands hold him fast, resisting his motions.
"Wait?" She bites out through clenched teeth as she fights through the pain. "Just...hang on a sec."
He does as she asks, terrified to do anything else. She squeezes his hand tight until eventually breathing evened back out.
"Kara?" He ventures timidly. "Are you OK?"
A few shuddering breaths later, she nods. "I...Lee, you remember what you said yesterday? About if I needed to talk?"
"Yeah" He breathes against her temple, waiting...
"Well I..." She stumbles, before the soft squeeze of his fingers around hers gives her the strength to go on. "I wanna tell you about what happened on Caprica."
He's so relived at the words that he turns to drop a light kiss to her forehead.
She forces herself to keep going. "Most of it, you're not gonna like."
He takes a deep calming breath and steels himself for whatever might come next. "That doesn't matter. This isn't about me. You can tell me anything."
She wants the words to be true. She wants to believe him. But she needs to be sure.
"No takebacks, right?" She asks in a timid breath.
He agrees without a second thought, absolutely certain in his conviction. "No takebacks, Kara. Not ever."
For once, the words are enough and she believes him. Her story starts to pour out of her and each truth set free from the confines of her chest leaves her lighter than before. Even when she knows that some of the truths must be as painful for him to hear as for her to say, his grip never loosens. Later as they nod slowly off in each other's arms and despite the chill on the breeze, she drifts off with a new warmth inside her that no amount of cold can touch.
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Thank you!
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But I love that Lee being there for Kara on Kobol allows her to open up even if it's hard. And Lee stays even if he doesn't want to hear. *happy sigh*
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This is what really gets to me. The idea that it would hurt him so much to see her grieve Zak, anyone really, that way, but unable to make her go through that night alone.
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Which is why Kara's hard for Lee, he wants to be in control and he's eternally being pulled back to something, the one thing, he can't control.
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Nice job!
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Thank you!
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I love how nothing can shake him too. :)
Thank you!
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i believe that he does this a lot during the series and it's so nice that this time he decides that he doesn't even care.
"Most of it, you're not gonna like."
that the understatement of the year.
great fic. it's a very nice, quiet, supportive moment.
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Lol, very much understatement of the year. Haha.
Thank you! *hugs you and your comment*
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