Just Another Day

Key

Sentences/ words that are boldand in italics, are direct thoughts.

Random italic words in a sentence are emphasis.

"Italics with speech marks" signify that what is being said within the speech marks is some distance away.

Bold is Onomatopoeia.

"Bold, italic, and speech marks" signify telepathic speech.

The key does not always apply to all fics
A/N- finally, I posted a BSG story! I mean, considering I've watched the series since the beginning. All my stories will be Apollo/Starbuck, with no exceptions. Welcome to all readers; whether they're new or… not as new. Just so you know, the key was designed to hopefully make things easier, but not everything will always apply. Warning: some characters in this fic are out of character, but that is on purpose. Oh, and it's set in season two somewhere.
Disclaimer- Nothing belongs to me. Frak.
Chapter 1- Morning

It was morning on the Battlestar Galactica, and Kara Thrace was having a little problem. Not only had she had to get up earlier that usual because Lee, damned CAG that he was, had scheduled her for an early CAP with Hotdog, but she had the misfortune to choose a shower that was malfunctioning so that instead of filtering the used, dirty water, so that clean water was given, what came out of the shower head was enough to even make her scream. It was obvious some hideously filthy, hairy man had used the shower before her, as evidence by the muck dripping down her hair onto her face and beyond.

Giving a shriek of anger, Kara proceeded to rip the shower unit from the wall, which probably wasn't a good idea, seeing as a chunk of wall had retaliated and flown at her head. "Frak you!" She cursed, rubbing the sore spot.

"Er," came Hotdog's voice from one of the other showers, "are you okay in there, sir?"

"Peachy." Kara hissed, giving the shower one last glare before moving on to another randomly chosen one. This one should be fine; she had seen Lee use it the night before without any problem.

Stepping in and examining the drain with satisfaction, she removed her towel and flung it over the door, turning to face the direction of the shower head, only to see Hotdog's shocked face looking back at her through a nonexistent wall between the two cubicles.

Growling, Kara grabbed her towel, wrapped it around her and marched to the lockers. She would shower later.

Unfortunately, a kick at her locker door the night before had resulted in it refusing to open this morning. Giving it another kick, she went to Kat's locker, intending to borrow something off of her, even if she wasn't the same size as her, which led to the problem she was now facing. The trousers wouldn't close.

"Frak this, Kat isn't skinny, these should fit!" With a mighty tug, she managed to pull the sides together, and even force the zip closed, but as soon as she took a step to get a jacket, the trousers split, revealing the borrowed underwear that had been a tight fit, but had stretched.

Hotdog, who was standing near her, watching, a towel wrapped around his waist, wordlessly held out a spare uniform of his, wisely not meeting Starbuck's eyes.

Stripping herself of Kat's ruined uniform she turned to Hotdog. "Am I fat?" She blurted out.

Hotdog froze; standing on one leg with the other in the air, foot ready to put through the leg of the underwear he was holding open with both hands. Memories ran through his head, of former girlfriends, and advice from friends on how to respond to those types of questions. Unfortunately, he had never been good at that sort of thing.

Glancing back at Kara who was watching him with narrowed eyes, he decided he'd better get on with it.

"No! Absolutely not," he assured the woman, "and your bum doesn't look big."

Far from being reassuring, his words had only added another worry. Her bum must be big, otherwise how would that part of her have been called to Hotdog's attention? I'm fat! She cried to herself.

Hotdog, noticing that his flight leader was standing there, a look of utter desolation on her face, he decided to do something about it.

"Look," he told her. "I judge if a woman's fat by whether my hands can span around her waist or not," he continued, making the whole thing up as he went along. After all, he knew men had pretty big hands, and he had often listened to his big brother talking with his friends about their girlfriends, boasting that their hands would go all the way around a woman's waist.

Unfortunately for Hotdog, he hadn't realised that as he was still young, his hands weren't as big as those of other men, in fact, they weren't much bigger than Starbuck's, and so when he put his hands around Kara's waist, his middle fingers wouldn't meet. Kara let out an uncharacteristic wail.

"I'm fat!" She cried.

"No you're not," Hotdog tried to hush her; it was a wonder she hadn't woken anyone else up, yet. "You just have more…"

"Fat than other women!" Kara cried, completing the sentence.

"No! I was going to say muscles!"

"So now I look like a man!" It was too much for Kara, and she bust into noisy tears. Hotdog watched helplessly, he didn't know what to do with normal crying women, but when it was Starbuck…

"What's going on?" Lee asked irritably, having been woken from a rather pleasant dream only to find Starbuck bawling like a baby with a naked Constanza in front of her.

"What did you do to her?" Lee asked Hotdog, with Kat and Racetrack, also having been woken up, watching.

"Nothing!" He insisted. "Something went wrong in the showers, then she couldn't open her locker, so put one of Kat's flight suits on, but she couldn't close them and they ripped. Then she asked me if she was fat! God Apollo, have you ever been asked that question by a woman, never mind one as scary as Starbuck! And then she started crying…"

"It's okay, Kara," Apollo soothed. "Kat's just slimmer than you, I'm sure a lot of women wouldn't have been able to fit into that suit, well, except for Racetrack and Dee. I'm sure the President couldn't have managed it."

Kara had stifled her sobs at Lee's first words, but at his others, started to scream in despair.

Kat, though a bit pissed at Starbuck for ruining her favourite suit, felt sympathy for her.

"You men are all the same," she scowled at Hotdog and Apollo, patting Kara on the arm. "Come on, sir, ignore them, they're just a couple of stupid male pilots, what do they know?"

Just then the door opened, and Dee walked in followed by Gaeta. "What's going on? I could hear someone crying two corridors away."

"Hotdog said I was fat, had a big bum and that I looked like a man! And then Apollo said I was old!"

"Did not," the two men chorused, knowing they were in trouble when Dee turned to look at them, anger in her eyes.

Trying to make Kara feel better, Apollo took it upon himself to apologise. "Look, I'm sorry Kara, and so is Hotdog, we didn't mean the things we said. I don't think you're fat at all, in fact I think you're incredibly…"

"Disgusting!" Exclaimed Helo, stepping through the door, what's that on your head, Kara!"

"It's called hair, Helo," Lee said impatiently, annoyed that Helo had interrupted his apology.

"You think my hair's disgusting?" Kara sniffed.

"No, not at all it's…" his voice trailed off when he noticed the muck still sat atop the lieutenant's hair. "You're right, Helo, it's absolutely hideous."

"Repulsive," Gaeta agreed, having caught sight of the gloop.

With a cry, Kara punched them all, finishing off by giving Hotdog an added kick where it hurt.

Giving one last cry, Kara ran out of the room, followed by Racetrack, Kat and Dee.

"Ouch." Apollo said, lifting himself from the ground and rubbing his eye, which had swollen shut already. "What was all that about?"

"I tell you, that was not Starbuck," Hotdog insisted, still curled in a ball clutching his family jewels. "Have you ever known her to cry? Never mind go all… like that."

"Yes." Lee said softly, remembering the night after Zak's funeral. "I've seen her cry before. Once."

"Do you think it is hormones? Maybe she's pregnant." Gaeta suggested.

"Starbuck?" Hotdog asked incredulous, "besides, all female pilots have that contraception thing, stops the hormones and… stuff."

"So I guess it can't be monthly reasons," Gaeta said thoughtfully.

"Hey guys, isn't that contraceptive thing not permanent, you have to get it redone now and again. That's how I believed Sharon was able to get pregnant, you know… when I still thought she was human. Anyway," he said, pulling himself together, "maybe she needs to get it redone."

"Alright guys," Apollo said. "I have a plan. We need to find Kara, grab her, and take her to lifestation, Doc Cottle has to help, or not even the Lords can save us when Kara turns angry."

A/N- hope it wasn't too weird and that you'll want to read more. Let me know.