A/N: I have no clue where this came from- the first paragraph decided to write itself and I worked from there. This is my first time venturing into the BSG fandom and I'm rather nervous about it. I hope the characters aren't too OOC- it's been a little while since I've watched the series. Huge hugs to Jemma who read this over for me! Thank you for reading, Marie x
A Moment In The Gym
She's focusing everything on the bag swinging in front of her. Her fists make a dull thump each time they connect with the canvas but it's not enough. The punching bag doesn't give the same satisfying slap that connecting with human flesh does. Left, right, left, right, left hook, right hook, left uppercut, right uppercut, rest. The pattern is soothing but her mind still whirs at an alarming rate.
The only thing that could truly calm her now is a viper flight but that's out of the question. She could get the Chief to look the other way but once it got back to the CAG he'd have the Admiral on her ass faster than she could win a round of Pyramid.
Gods damn it Lee!
She hears the hatch open and close and then footsteps behind her but she doesn't turn. Her pride refuses to let her be the one to start this- he needs to man up.
"Lieutenant Thrace?" His voice is all business.
So that's how he's going to play it. Well that was fine, Kara Thrace isn't one to back down from a challenge.
"Captain Adama, if you'll excuse me I'm a little busy at the moment," She doesn't even turn as she speaks.
"Starbuck..." His tone has softened but of course she's going to mess with him a little more.
"I'm not on rotation for another 6 hours, Apollo," The smirk is back in her tone even as her punches become more violent. She always could match Lee Adama blow for blow.
"Kara."
"Lee, I don't frakkin' care what you have to say." Her fists continue to fly, becoming a blur as they impact with the heavy canvas bag.
"You know I didn't want to ground you." She thinks his voice has always been too open, too expressive, for the military. The toll this is taking on him is as plain as day. "I didn't have a choice. The regs are the regs."
"The world as we know it is over, Lee. You'd think that might have removed the stick from your ass." She's still not looking at him, she refuses to turn in his direction.
"GODS DAMMIT, KARA!"
And finally, there's the reaction she was hoping for. Anger she can deal with, anger is familiar. It's only now that she turns face to face with him. One of her eyebrows is raised in question but her expression demands conflict.
Without conscious thought her feet settle into a fighting stance- her weight distributed evenly between them- and her wrapped hands move to rest on her hips. Everything about her screams defiance.
Of course he notices. "You want to fight this out? Be my guest." There's sheer venom in Lee's tone as he drops the folder he was carrying and removes the jacket of his dress blues leaving only his double tanks. He takes a minute to wrap his hands before walking to the edge of the sparring mat; his eyes challenging Kara to join him. "We can fight this out. Who knows, you might even fight fair."
She lands the first punch for that, directly to his right cheekbone- a physical blow for the verbal one. His head snaps back from the force of the punch. Kara goes in for a jab whilst he's exposed but his feet carry him quickly out of range.
He works his jaw as he regains his senses, already knowing that it will bruise. In all the time he's known her Kara has never pulled a punch.
"All that paperwork making you soft, Apollo?"
"I had to let you get one punch in, it's only gentlemanly."
They're circling each other effortlessly now, the verbal spars flying back and forth in that old familiar rhythm. There's an unspoken command and they both fly into the centre of the mat. They regard each other carefully but in the following minutes they both land an equal amount of blows. On the mat or in the air- they're always evenly matched.
The sound of heavy breathing fills the gym; the only other sound is the hum of Galactica beneath their feet.
"Tired already, Starbuck?"
His only answer is a vicious punch to the stomach. He counters quickly with a right hook but it's clear the blow hurt him. He lands two more punches to her torso before he sees his opening. She's off balance after lunging in an attempt to strike him. It's now or never. He sweeps her leg and surprise flashes across her features before she finds herself sprawled heavily across the mat.
She blinks once slowly before opening her mouth to speak.
"Maybe you aren't that soft after all."
Her eyes promise retribution but Lee only extends his hand to help her up. He misses the sly glint in her eyes as she takes his hand.
Before he can blink Kara has reversed the power. Lee is flat on his back on the mat; the wind knocked completely out of him. The smug grin is firmly in place on Kara's face as she straddles his stomach and pins his arms above his head.
He's powerless. He tries to break her hold but she's strong, she's a viper pilot for frak's sake.
"Okay, Kara. You win."
She doesn't reply, only leans in closer under their faces are mere inches apart. They're breathing the same air and her smug grin turns triumphant- her face aglow with it.
"Don't I always?"
They're both still breathing harshly as Kara slides her hips further down his body to align with his. She rolls her hips once sharply against his and kisses him hard. Their tongues tangle for a brief few seconds as their passion breaks free. He tastes primarily of the processed algae they call food onboard but underneath he tastes of home.
Lee's arms begin to wind themselves around her lower back and that's her cue. She jumps off of him, rising to her feet in one smooth motion; leaving him gaping up at her.
"Shower time, Lee. I'll race you." She lends a little extra sway to her hips as she walks towards the hatch. Flashing a seductive look over her shoulder to give him some extra encouragement she opens the hatch and walks through.
"You're still grounded! This doesn't change anything, Starbuck!" Lee calls through the hatch after her before heaving his aching body up off of the mat. "Kara!"
He grabs the discarded jacket and folder before swiftly following. It seems he has an appointment in the head with a certain blonde viper pilot. A certain, still grounded, blonde viper pilot.