FIC: Comic Book Heroes
Title: Comic Book Heroes
Author: lls_mutant
Summary: Gaeta and Zarek discuss people they've met.
Rating: PG
Author's Note: Written for a.) daybreak777's Itty Bitty Viddy Ficcy Thon, filling my own prompt of gen Gaeta and Zarek, and vaguely but not really filling the BSG characters go to con prompt, and b.) Because certain events required reaction fic from those of us who spent the night in PJs watching Firefly reruns. And yes, darn it, the names all pay some homage to those of us who couldn't go :) And yeah, could very easily be an outtake from Youth's Final Luxury.
The wind made the walls of the tent billow in, but enough people were crammed inside that it still felt warm. Nevertheless, Felix pulled his jacket around him a little tighter.
"All right," he said, "here's one. Did you ever meet anyone famous that wasn't a politician?"
Tom had to think about that one. He took a long, contemplative sip of his drink. Finally, he said, "Neil Marshall."
"Who?"
"He was a singer. He did 'Break My Heart.' Big hit… twenty seven years ago," he said, trailing off. Felix looked at him evenly, and Tom sighed. "What were you? Four?"
"Two."
"Gods, that's depressing."
"Come on, you must have met someone else at some point in time. Your book-"
"Was written while I was in prison. Believe me, I wasn't doing any signings or tours."
Felix made a face. "Good point," he muttered.
Tom put his drink down. "There was this one other woman I met… I was only twenty one at the time."
"Big movie star and you managed to get into her skirt?"
Tom chuckled. "Hardly. Her name was Brenna Kappalls. She-"
Felix's mouth was hanging open. "She's the one who did the Fallen Legends series," he said in awe. "I loved those books."
"You've read them?" Tom leaned forward.
"Of course! They're classics! The power struggle between Marker and Kelscuit… it's just… man." Felix sat back, staring in awe. "The brother dynamic-"
"You thought it was a brother dynamic?" Tom asked. "I always thought there was some unrequited sexual tension between the two."
"No, it was platonic. Marker went for Nighthawk."
"No way. Nighthawk had a thinly veiled contempt for Marker's philosophical interludes there. And was into Cal."
"Yeah, but remember when he gave him the orb thingie?"
"You were the tactical officer of Galactica and a scientist, and the best descriptor you can come up with for the neuroplasma accelerator is 'the orb thingie'?" Tom asked.
Felix shrugged. "What did Kappalls say?"
"About what?"
"Well, did you ask her about Marker and Kelscuit?"
"What, you mean, 'gee, famous author that I'm meeting for the first time, were your two characters doing it?'" Tom mocked. "No, I didn't ask her. I could barely form a coherent sentence."
"You. You could barely form a coherent sentence." Felix leaned on his elbows, raising his eyebrows and taking a drag off his cigarette. "Somehow, I don't believe that."
"It's true," Tom admitted ruefully. "I mean, I was just a kid, and she was in her late forties at the time. Her hair was already white, and she had the most piercing blue eyes I'd ever seen. I wanted to ask her if she'd draw me Nighthawk, but all I managed to say was some gibberish that I don't even want to remember."
Felix sighed. "I know that feeling."
"Oh? What did you say the first time you met someone famous?"
Felix made a face. "I believe I said something along the lines of 'This must be hard for you... Having something you created twisted and used like this... must be... horrible... the guilt...'"
Tom's brow furrowed. "Gods, that sounds like you were meeting a mad scientist."
"I was. That was when I met Gaius."
Tom's hand hesitated midair as he lifted his glass to his lips, and then he began to laugh. He put his drink down and rubbed his forehead. "I don't know if that's hysterical or pathetic," he chuckled. "I really don't."
Felix shrugged. "Best I've got." He sighed, staring at the end of his cigarette. "Wouldn't mind being able to read those books again," he said wistfully. "I haven't in years."
"Somehow, I imagine you read them more recently than I did." Tom's smile faded. "Was she still alive when the Cylons attacked?"
"I think so," Felix said sadly. "She would have been in her seventies or eighties. But I never saw an obit, and the last book only came out five years ago."
"Was it any good?"
Felix nodded silently.
"Damn."
"Yeah."
Tom raised his drink. "To Brenna Kappalls," he said, smiling wryly. "May she be making the gods wait with her cliffhanger endings."
"To Brenna Kappalls," Felix agreed, clinking his glass. "And all the Fallen Legends."
They drank.
Author: lls_mutant
Summary: Gaeta and Zarek discuss people they've met.
Rating: PG
Author's Note: Written for a.) daybreak777's Itty Bitty Viddy Ficcy Thon, filling my own prompt of gen Gaeta and Zarek, and vaguely but not really filling the BSG characters go to con prompt, and b.) Because certain events required reaction fic from those of us who spent the night in PJs watching Firefly reruns. And yes, darn it, the names all pay some homage to those of us who couldn't go :) And yeah, could very easily be an outtake from Youth's Final Luxury.
The wind made the walls of the tent billow in, but enough people were crammed inside that it still felt warm. Nevertheless, Felix pulled his jacket around him a little tighter.
"All right," he said, "here's one. Did you ever meet anyone famous that wasn't a politician?"
Tom had to think about that one. He took a long, contemplative sip of his drink. Finally, he said, "Neil Marshall."
"Who?"
"He was a singer. He did 'Break My Heart.' Big hit… twenty seven years ago," he said, trailing off. Felix looked at him evenly, and Tom sighed. "What were you? Four?"
"Two."
"Gods, that's depressing."
"Come on, you must have met someone else at some point in time. Your book-"
"Was written while I was in prison. Believe me, I wasn't doing any signings or tours."
Felix made a face. "Good point," he muttered.
Tom put his drink down. "There was this one other woman I met… I was only twenty one at the time."
"Big movie star and you managed to get into her skirt?"
Tom chuckled. "Hardly. Her name was Brenna Kappalls. She-"
Felix's mouth was hanging open. "She's the one who did the Fallen Legends series," he said in awe. "I loved those books."
"You've read them?" Tom leaned forward.
"Of course! They're classics! The power struggle between Marker and Kelscuit… it's just… man." Felix sat back, staring in awe. "The brother dynamic-"
"You thought it was a brother dynamic?" Tom asked. "I always thought there was some unrequited sexual tension between the two."
"No, it was platonic. Marker went for Nighthawk."
"No way. Nighthawk had a thinly veiled contempt for Marker's philosophical interludes there. And was into Cal."
"Yeah, but remember when he gave him the orb thingie?"
"You were the tactical officer of Galactica and a scientist, and the best descriptor you can come up with for the neuroplasma accelerator is 'the orb thingie'?" Tom asked.
Felix shrugged. "What did Kappalls say?"
"About what?"
"Well, did you ask her about Marker and Kelscuit?"
"What, you mean, 'gee, famous author that I'm meeting for the first time, were your two characters doing it?'" Tom mocked. "No, I didn't ask her. I could barely form a coherent sentence."
"You. You could barely form a coherent sentence." Felix leaned on his elbows, raising his eyebrows and taking a drag off his cigarette. "Somehow, I don't believe that."
"It's true," Tom admitted ruefully. "I mean, I was just a kid, and she was in her late forties at the time. Her hair was already white, and she had the most piercing blue eyes I'd ever seen. I wanted to ask her if she'd draw me Nighthawk, but all I managed to say was some gibberish that I don't even want to remember."
Felix sighed. "I know that feeling."
"Oh? What did you say the first time you met someone famous?"
Felix made a face. "I believe I said something along the lines of 'This must be hard for you... Having something you created twisted and used like this... must be... horrible... the guilt...'"
Tom's brow furrowed. "Gods, that sounds like you were meeting a mad scientist."
"I was. That was when I met Gaius."
Tom's hand hesitated midair as he lifted his glass to his lips, and then he began to laugh. He put his drink down and rubbed his forehead. "I don't know if that's hysterical or pathetic," he chuckled. "I really don't."
Felix shrugged. "Best I've got." He sighed, staring at the end of his cigarette. "Wouldn't mind being able to read those books again," he said wistfully. "I haven't in years."
"Somehow, I imagine you read them more recently than I did." Tom's smile faded. "Was she still alive when the Cylons attacked?"
"I think so," Felix said sadly. "She would have been in her seventies or eighties. But I never saw an obit, and the last book only came out five years ago."
"Was it any good?"
Felix nodded silently.
"Damn."
"Yeah."
Tom raised his drink. "To Brenna Kappalls," he said, smiling wryly. "May she be making the gods wait with her cliffhanger endings."
"To Brenna Kappalls," Felix agreed, clinking his glass. "And all the Fallen Legends."
They drank.