BSG: Starbuck and Helo
Fandom: Battlestar Galactica
Pairing: Kara “Starbuck” Thrace/Karl “Helo” Agathon
Theme set: Delta
Rating: PG-13
01 Air
The air on Cloud 9 felt stale to Kara, and she found her thoughts drifting back to the time she and Karl spent on Lake Aegean when existing didn’t mean running for your life and the air was clean and fresh.
02 Apples
For his twenty-ninth birthday, Helo woke up to find a bag of apple flavored lollipops at the bottom of his bed and a note telling him that she did not have a fun time finding these little frakers.
03 Beginning
Kara regarded the rather handsome man currently suggesting they let the newbie join the triad game and held out her hand in thanks, “Hi, I’m Kara Thrace.”
04 Bugs
Helo tapped lightly on the bar table in front of him as he continued to weave his tale about the last pyramid game on Tauron, and Kara’s eyes went wide for just a second as she realized he was telling her the room was bugged.
05 Coffee
Kara took a sip of her coffee and smiled, “The nuggets have gotten the wild idea that you and I are fraking, Helo, and I just couldn’t bear to set them straight.”
06 Dark
Helo couldn’t help but think the darkness had fallen away from Kara now that she had made her home on New Caprica.
07 Despair
The look of despair in Helo’s eyes darkened as he realized he had just placed a bet against Starbuck that would have him walking through the hangar bay in nothing but his military issued boxers.
08 Doors
Kara couldn’t open doors when she was drunk and Helo couldn’t figure out a way to shut them, which worked out nicely when they had to explain why they were found drunk and disorderly, singing at the top of their lungs in the middle of the night at the Delphian Park of Artemis.
09 Drink
Helo was the one who pried the bottle of ambrosia from her hand and tucked the covers securely around her body the night after Kat took out Scar.
10 Duty
When someone pointed out that leaving a known Cylon lover behind on Caprica might have been a better idea, Kara’s fists started flying, and she suddenly understood what it was like to have an unquestioning sense of duty.
11 Earth
Kara hated the fact that whenever someone spoke of finding Earth and laying down their burdens for good, she always knew that Karl would not be coming with her.
12 End
The day they took back New Caprica, Helo was the one who found Kara, her arms clutched tightly around the body of her dying husband.
13 Fall
Karl knew that there walls upon walls which Kara built up inside, but as she led him down the stairs into her Delphi apartment, he could feel them begin to fall.
14 Fire
The day after Sharon was almost raped for a second time, Kara found him curled up in his bunk, and when he turned to face her, she let herself forget what was proper in order to kiss him with a fire that let him know that no matter what happened, he was still human.
15 Flexible
Kara ran her hand along Helo’s shoulder before leaning in, “I can bend myself around you in ways you couldn’t even imagine, my legs holding you tightly against me until you can’t stand it, and in the end I would have you screaming my name so that the whole world would know who it was that made you lose control.”
16 Flying
Karl often watched Kara from the observation deck when she was on CAP and wondered if, because he could not share this most important thing with her, he would ever truly know her.
17 Food
Helo had always been the only one with a grip stable enough to hoist Kara into the air duct leading to the off-limits pantry in Corridor B7.
18 Foot
Helo was a getting a little frisky with his small touches during their latest sparring session, and Kara figured a foot up the ass might do him wonders right about now.
19 Grave
Kara dropped her bags the second she got back to the bunkroom, and when Karl asked her how it went, she muttered, “The grave never changes no matter how many times I go back to see it.”
20 Green
“Sometimes I really hate you,” Karl growled as the green goo that passed for food on Galactica dripped down his head and into his face.
21 Head
When they returned from Kobol, everyone knew about Starbuck and Helo’s nightly trips into the head that resulted in a lot of moaning and swearing and one completely off-limits hatchway, but no one knew that the secret trips were because Kara would only allow Helo to redress the going away presents the Cylons had given her.
22 Hollow
The hollow sound of Kara’s gloves making contact with the open palms of his hand was the most soothing sound Helo had heard in months.
23 Honor
Karl’s eyes darted from Kara to the man she was going to marry before he stuttered, “I’m really honored and all, but does this mean I’m the best man or the maid of honor?”
24 Hope
“I hope she’s worth it, Karl,” Kara whispered, leaving her best friend alone with the woman behind the caged-in window.
25 Light
Helo shined the light straight into her eyes and let out a laugh, “Good news, Starbuck didn’t drink herself to death this time.”
26 Lost
They sat side by side in the observation deck most nights, neither one willing to say a word to break the silence.
27 Metal
The blood tasted metallic, and yet Kara couldn’t help but forget she was even hurt as Helo held her body up against the pillar.
28 New
“My new nickname for you is Balls of Steel,” Karl said, shaking his head as Kara handed over the bag filled with the CAG’s underwear.
29 Old
When Zak died and her dream of being an old married couple one hundred years down the line, great, great, great grandchildren children and all, Kara accepted a position on Galactica and the new dream of being old bar buddies with Helo, one-hundred-and-ten and still able to kick ass in a bar fight.
30 Peace
Kara could remember the day she told Karl about Zak Adama and the peace it brought her to know she did not have to shoulder the burden alone anymore.
31 Poison
Her mother always told her that she was never be good enough, that she would always be worthless, but then Kara’s mom had never seen the way the smile grew on Karl Agathon face’s when Kara entered the room.
32 Pretty
Karl naturally grew into the habit of tugging on that pretty, little ponytail every time he saw her in the corridors.
33 Rain
Kara watched the rain blow against the walls of Delphi Union and silently moved to lean against her newly resurrected friend.
34 Regret
On the harder days after the Cylon holocaust, Kara regretted telling Karl she could never think of him in that way because when she considered it, everything would have been easier if she just got herself clear of the Adama family and its unconditional love.
35 Roses
He had used their leave passes to drag Kara to the annual Rose Festival on Tauron, and from that day on, she would always associate the smell of roses with cheap beer, bar brawls spilling out into the street, and Karl C. Agathon.
36 Secret
Kara turned over on her cot in the brig to smile at the man asleep in the cell next to her, “You’re the best brig partner a girl could ask for.”
37 Snakes
“No matter how many times you say it, you can’t have chosen not to fly Vipers,” Kara insisted.
38 Snow
“I miss the sun,” Kara said at the very moment that Helo whispered, “I miss the snow.”
39 Solid
From the second they met, Karl had always been the solid pair of arms holding her back from getting herself thrown in the brig.
40 Spring
Helo waited until Corporal Taggert, the only female Marine currently stationed on Galactica, took her turn guarding the brig, and within ten minutes of her shift, he had Kara sprung from behind the bars.
41 Stable
Kara used Helo as a crutch during their first few days back on board Galactica, but he never complained.
42 Strange
The good thing about working her aggression off with Helo was he didn’t find it strange when she called out another man’s name.
43 Summer
Karl promised Kara that he would take her to the beaches of Aquaria every summer for the rest of their lives if she would stop stealing his towels while he was in the shower.
44 Taboo
Just how much they wished their lives had turned out different had become a taboo subject between them.
45 Ugly
Kara’s head started pounding as soon as she woke up to find herself naked in bed with her best friend and sporting a wicked hangover, and it was all she could do to groan, “Hades has frozen off if I’m having to wake up to your ugly mug, Helo.”
46 War
Kara held her glass of ambrosia up to the light and narrowed her eyes, “Sometimes I wonder if life is better for us now that we’re at war.”
47 Water
Helo had no idea how she did it, but every time he finished a patrol and was forced to watch Sharon start one of her famous “arguments” with the Chief, Kara was there with a bottle of water and a friendly smirk.
48 Welcome
Helo knocked on the office door of the new CAG, a plate of noodles in his hand for the woman who hadn‘t eaten in ten hours, and ignored the fact that Kara would not be very welcoming.
49 Winter
“It’s too cold for you down there, Kara,” Helo said, fighting the urge to scream that going down to New Caprica was the biggest mistake of her life.
50 Wood
Helo’s knuckles scrapped against the bark of the tree, and he suddenly remembered the way Kara’s knuckles had always been so scarred.
Pairing: Kara “Starbuck” Thrace/Karl “Helo” Agathon
Theme set: Delta
Rating: PG-13
01 Air
The air on Cloud 9 felt stale to Kara, and she found her thoughts drifting back to the time she and Karl spent on Lake Aegean when existing didn’t mean running for your life and the air was clean and fresh.
02 Apples
For his twenty-ninth birthday, Helo woke up to find a bag of apple flavored lollipops at the bottom of his bed and a note telling him that she did not have a fun time finding these little frakers.
03 Beginning
Kara regarded the rather handsome man currently suggesting they let the newbie join the triad game and held out her hand in thanks, “Hi, I’m Kara Thrace.”
04 Bugs
Helo tapped lightly on the bar table in front of him as he continued to weave his tale about the last pyramid game on Tauron, and Kara’s eyes went wide for just a second as she realized he was telling her the room was bugged.
05 Coffee
Kara took a sip of her coffee and smiled, “The nuggets have gotten the wild idea that you and I are fraking, Helo, and I just couldn’t bear to set them straight.”
06 Dark
Helo couldn’t help but think the darkness had fallen away from Kara now that she had made her home on New Caprica.
07 Despair
The look of despair in Helo’s eyes darkened as he realized he had just placed a bet against Starbuck that would have him walking through the hangar bay in nothing but his military issued boxers.
08 Doors
Kara couldn’t open doors when she was drunk and Helo couldn’t figure out a way to shut them, which worked out nicely when they had to explain why they were found drunk and disorderly, singing at the top of their lungs in the middle of the night at the Delphian Park of Artemis.
09 Drink
Helo was the one who pried the bottle of ambrosia from her hand and tucked the covers securely around her body the night after Kat took out Scar.
10 Duty
When someone pointed out that leaving a known Cylon lover behind on Caprica might have been a better idea, Kara’s fists started flying, and she suddenly understood what it was like to have an unquestioning sense of duty.
11 Earth
Kara hated the fact that whenever someone spoke of finding Earth and laying down their burdens for good, she always knew that Karl would not be coming with her.
12 End
The day they took back New Caprica, Helo was the one who found Kara, her arms clutched tightly around the body of her dying husband.
13 Fall
Karl knew that there walls upon walls which Kara built up inside, but as she led him down the stairs into her Delphi apartment, he could feel them begin to fall.
14 Fire
The day after Sharon was almost raped for a second time, Kara found him curled up in his bunk, and when he turned to face her, she let herself forget what was proper in order to kiss him with a fire that let him know that no matter what happened, he was still human.
15 Flexible
Kara ran her hand along Helo’s shoulder before leaning in, “I can bend myself around you in ways you couldn’t even imagine, my legs holding you tightly against me until you can’t stand it, and in the end I would have you screaming my name so that the whole world would know who it was that made you lose control.”
16 Flying
Karl often watched Kara from the observation deck when she was on CAP and wondered if, because he could not share this most important thing with her, he would ever truly know her.
17 Food
Helo had always been the only one with a grip stable enough to hoist Kara into the air duct leading to the off-limits pantry in Corridor B7.
18 Foot
Helo was a getting a little frisky with his small touches during their latest sparring session, and Kara figured a foot up the ass might do him wonders right about now.
19 Grave
Kara dropped her bags the second she got back to the bunkroom, and when Karl asked her how it went, she muttered, “The grave never changes no matter how many times I go back to see it.”
20 Green
“Sometimes I really hate you,” Karl growled as the green goo that passed for food on Galactica dripped down his head and into his face.
21 Head
When they returned from Kobol, everyone knew about Starbuck and Helo’s nightly trips into the head that resulted in a lot of moaning and swearing and one completely off-limits hatchway, but no one knew that the secret trips were because Kara would only allow Helo to redress the going away presents the Cylons had given her.
22 Hollow
The hollow sound of Kara’s gloves making contact with the open palms of his hand was the most soothing sound Helo had heard in months.
23 Honor
Karl’s eyes darted from Kara to the man she was going to marry before he stuttered, “I’m really honored and all, but does this mean I’m the best man or the maid of honor?”
24 Hope
“I hope she’s worth it, Karl,” Kara whispered, leaving her best friend alone with the woman behind the caged-in window.
25 Light
Helo shined the light straight into her eyes and let out a laugh, “Good news, Starbuck didn’t drink herself to death this time.”
26 Lost
They sat side by side in the observation deck most nights, neither one willing to say a word to break the silence.
27 Metal
The blood tasted metallic, and yet Kara couldn’t help but forget she was even hurt as Helo held her body up against the pillar.
28 New
“My new nickname for you is Balls of Steel,” Karl said, shaking his head as Kara handed over the bag filled with the CAG’s underwear.
29 Old
When Zak died and her dream of being an old married couple one hundred years down the line, great, great, great grandchildren children and all, Kara accepted a position on Galactica and the new dream of being old bar buddies with Helo, one-hundred-and-ten and still able to kick ass in a bar fight.
30 Peace
Kara could remember the day she told Karl about Zak Adama and the peace it brought her to know she did not have to shoulder the burden alone anymore.
31 Poison
Her mother always told her that she was never be good enough, that she would always be worthless, but then Kara’s mom had never seen the way the smile grew on Karl Agathon face’s when Kara entered the room.
32 Pretty
Karl naturally grew into the habit of tugging on that pretty, little ponytail every time he saw her in the corridors.
33 Rain
Kara watched the rain blow against the walls of Delphi Union and silently moved to lean against her newly resurrected friend.
34 Regret
On the harder days after the Cylon holocaust, Kara regretted telling Karl she could never think of him in that way because when she considered it, everything would have been easier if she just got herself clear of the Adama family and its unconditional love.
35 Roses
He had used their leave passes to drag Kara to the annual Rose Festival on Tauron, and from that day on, she would always associate the smell of roses with cheap beer, bar brawls spilling out into the street, and Karl C. Agathon.
36 Secret
Kara turned over on her cot in the brig to smile at the man asleep in the cell next to her, “You’re the best brig partner a girl could ask for.”
37 Snakes
“No matter how many times you say it, you can’t have chosen not to fly Vipers,” Kara insisted.
38 Snow
“I miss the sun,” Kara said at the very moment that Helo whispered, “I miss the snow.”
39 Solid
From the second they met, Karl had always been the solid pair of arms holding her back from getting herself thrown in the brig.
40 Spring
Helo waited until Corporal Taggert, the only female Marine currently stationed on Galactica, took her turn guarding the brig, and within ten minutes of her shift, he had Kara sprung from behind the bars.
41 Stable
Kara used Helo as a crutch during their first few days back on board Galactica, but he never complained.
42 Strange
The good thing about working her aggression off with Helo was he didn’t find it strange when she called out another man’s name.
43 Summer
Karl promised Kara that he would take her to the beaches of Aquaria every summer for the rest of their lives if she would stop stealing his towels while he was in the shower.
44 Taboo
Just how much they wished their lives had turned out different had become a taboo subject between them.
45 Ugly
Kara’s head started pounding as soon as she woke up to find herself naked in bed with her best friend and sporting a wicked hangover, and it was all she could do to groan, “Hades has frozen off if I’m having to wake up to your ugly mug, Helo.”
46 War
Kara held her glass of ambrosia up to the light and narrowed her eyes, “Sometimes I wonder if life is better for us now that we’re at war.”
47 Water
Helo had no idea how she did it, but every time he finished a patrol and was forced to watch Sharon start one of her famous “arguments” with the Chief, Kara was there with a bottle of water and a friendly smirk.
48 Welcome
Helo knocked on the office door of the new CAG, a plate of noodles in his hand for the woman who hadn‘t eaten in ten hours, and ignored the fact that Kara would not be very welcoming.
49 Winter
“It’s too cold for you down there, Kara,” Helo said, fighting the urge to scream that going down to New Caprica was the biggest mistake of her life.
50 Wood
Helo’s knuckles scrapped against the bark of the tree, and he suddenly remembered the way Kara’s knuckles had always been so scarred.