Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own any of the BSG characters. And if I did own one of them ...koffLeekoff... I would have been run down by fangirls a LONG time ago.
No Take Backs
Lee Adama was not having a good day.
To say he was having a bad day would be putting it mildly. To say he was having the most horrific day of his life would be putting it too harshly.
In short, Lee Adama was not having a good day.
He had flown a double shift last night, then had returned and showered. He did not go straight to bed after that though, much as he wanted to; he was stuck, instead, wading through a stack of paperwork that no matter how much he worked on it always seemed to remain the same height. After that, he had reported to CIC, saluted the Commander and XO, gone on CAP with one of Kara's nuggets, and walked the said nugget through landing when the boy waved off time and again. They finally got it on the fourth try.
Ritual stuff.
He was tired, though. He hadn't had much time to rest. It had been only several days since he had returned from Kobol, the fleet rejoining after the discovery of the tomb of Athena. And it had been just over a couple of weeks ago when, in front of Kara - callsign Starbuck, Lead Pilot of Galactica and the fiancée of his late brother - he let slip that he loved her.
Stupid, really.
He knew they were still friends, despite all that had happened between them recently - her jumping to retrieve the Arrow of Apollo, his performing mutiny, his father being shot, then his leaving Galactica only to meet up with Kara once again. Perhaps he should have been angry then, but he was overcome with a joy so poignant that he couldn't help but run to her, arms outstretched to embrace her. And then he had kissed her.
Stupid, really.
He thud his head against the tiled wall of the shower stall. Whatever was he thinking? No, scratch that - he hadn't been thinking. That was the problem. He had let all his control slip the moment he saw her, bruised and a little worse for wear but still safe, still sound.
Stupid, really.
But hadn't she said no take backs?
Did that mean she felt something for him too?
Did that mean she loved him as well?
He groaned and turned the water off. His thoughts were growing more and more ridiculous by the minute. Knowing Starbuck, she had probably only said that so she could tease him for the rest of his life with it. There was no point in lingering in any case; she hadn't even brought it up, and already it was more than two weeks past that conversation.
He pulled a towel around his waist and exited the showers. Perhaps he could catch a nap before his next shift... But then there was paperwork... Ugh.
"What's with all the sighing?" a familiar voice asked from behind him. He thudded his head against his locker door.
Not now...
"Hey, you're going to do yourself some serious brain damage that way," Kara observed. He pasted on his best CAG smile and turned around.
"Yeah, and that would mean all my duties will be shifted to you. Wouldn't want that now, would we?"
Kara just smirked, but her grin dissipated slightly when she got a good look at his face.
"Boy, you look like hell. Haven't you been getting any sleep?"
"No," Lee finally admitted, the grin drooping from his face as well. He rubbed his eyes. Kara 'tsk'ed and shook her head.
"Come on," she said, pulling him over to her bed and pushing him into it. He followed her confusedly, sitting down at the edge of the bed and looking up at her. He felt a bit out of place; he was sitting on Kara's bed, in nothing but a towel, while the Viper pilot herself was taking her shoes off.
"What are you doing, Kara?" he asked, not without a little bit of apprehension.
"Giving you a backrub. On your stomach, flyboy," she instructed, pulling the curtain shut as she climbed in after him.
"A little shy, are we?" he teased as he stretched out on his stomach and laid his head on her pillow. It smelled like her.
Kara rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, whatever. Like I'm going to let all those impressionable nuggets see you in your not-so-fully-nakedness," she shot back as she straddled his waist and began to knead the coiled muscles of Lee's back. They stayed that way for a while, Kara rubbing and coaxing the tense muscles to loosen, Lee resting his head on his arms and feeling the tension in his body leaving him.
"You know, I'm a bit disappointed," she finally began, breaking the comfortable silence that hung between them. Lee had been half drifting off when she said this, so all he managed was a sleepy, "Hmm...?"
"I thought I would be the one getting favors like backrubs from you."
"And why... oomph... why would I do that, when I'm the CAG?" he said, grinning into the pillow. Gods, but she had amazing hands.
"Because you love me," she said, innocently enough as she worked to get a particularly stubborn knot out of his shoulder blade.
Lee stiffened.
"Will you relax? I'm trying to get these knots out of you, and you better be darn grateful that you're receiving a backrub from the almighty Starbuck."
Lee complied and settled down once more, but he was obviously choosing to refrain from saying anything. Kara smirked. Lee was always so uptight. She figured she could have some fun while she had the chance.
Lee, on the other hand, was having trouble keeping his body in its relaxed position. Kara's hands were going lower down his back; he wouldn't have minded it under normal circumstances, given that it was a backrub after all, but he could hear Kara snickering, and that was beginning to worry him. It was not a good sign when Kara snickered.
Plus his body was beginning to react to the stimulation it was receiving. Definitely not a good thing.
His fear proved correct when he felt her fingers knead at the muscles of his hips.
"Kara!" he protested indignantly.
"Come on, Lee, lighten up. It's not everyday you get a backrub from a beautiful woman like myself," Kara cooed, moving her hands slowly back up his spine. Lee shivered unconsciously.
"You have no idea what you're playing with," he growled. Kara just laughed and kneaded his shoulders - although her hands were reaching a bit too much around the length of his shoulder blades.
"Ohh, is the mighty Apollo getting nervous?"
"No, the mighty Apollo is trying to figure out just why the mighty Starbuck is sexually assaulting the CAG."
Kara pouted.
"You're no fun, Lee." And she gave his hips an extra squeeze.
That did it. It was already all he could do to lay still the first time; once bitten, twice shy. Lee jumped away from Kara, sitting cross legged at the opposite end of the bed.
"Kara, seriously, what are you playing at?" he asked warily. She frowned slightly and crawled forward. Lee leaned back.
"Honestly Lee, relax. It's not like I'm gonna jump you. I was only teasing," she said, clearly confused as to why he was so leery. Lee sighed and scrubbed his face. Only teasing. That's all it was to Starbuck. Teasing.
"Yeah, well..."
"Lee? Are you all right?" she asked, leaning even closer to him now. Not good. Not good!
"You look flushed."
"No, I'm fine," he replied. Only he wasn't. He knew he didn't look fine; he could feel the blood rising to his cheeks, and he was inching away from Kara even as she advanced. That wasn't normal by anyone's standards.
Frak. He hit the end of the bunk. He was cornered now, and she was still advancing.
"Lee? Lee? Apollo, are you okay?"
He couldn't help it. He leaned forward and kissed her.
It was a hard kiss, if anything. It was fervent, laced with need, want, confusion, and overall just instinct. Kara seemed surprised at first, but then after a second she began to kiss back with just as much force; there was an urgency there, as their tongues dueled each other, fighting for dominance over the other.
A moment or two passed like that, until the need to breathe became inevitable and they broke apart, panting and gasping for breath and Kara - who had somehow ended up lying on her back - staring at her friend with a strange, unreadable expression on her face.
Another minute ticked by before Lee finally moved. He had his breath back (somewhat) now, and coherence was once again returning to him - with it the realization of what the hell he had just done.
"Frak," he swore, and moved to leave the bunk. He didn't get too far though; Kara had pulled him back by the arm, back on top of her. The woman had amazing upper body strength. He sighed.
"Let me go," he muttered. He was going to need another shower, and a long, cold one at that.
"No."
"Kara, let me go."
She shook her head and stroked his hair, playing with the little hairs on the back of his nape. He gave an involuntary shiver, and she slowly drew both of her hands down; the chain of his dog tags caught, and she used it to pull his face lower until he was mere inches away from her face.
"No take backs, Lee," she murmured, all traces of banter now gone from her face, her breath transforming itself to feather light kisses that caressed the scruffy CAG's face before dissipating into nothingness. She brought one hand up to brush the thumb across his lips, and an involuntary moan escaped them, in turn bringing a warm smile upon hers. Lee took a ragged breath and closed the almost nonexistent distance between them with another kiss.
This kiss was quite different from the first one. While it was by no means less sweet, it was decidedly gentler; where the last one was fervent, this one was slower, more sensual. Lee was taking his time exploring the sacred temple that was Kara's mouth, and Kara let him, occasionally letting her tongue dart out to meet his in a shy, tentative dance.
The kiss lasted longer than the previous one before they emerged for breath once more. Emerald met sapphire. A smile was shared.
Wordlessly they began to work together to divest her of her clothing. He had lost his towel at some point during the kiss, leaving him bare, and she soon following him into a state of unabashed nakedness. His eyes danced over her body, tracing every curve and taking in every dip; given their living conditions, he had seen her without a thread on more than one occasion, but out of politeness and respect for her had not let his eyes linger for more than a split second. Even those accidentally stolen glances had been more than enough to arouse him. Now that he was exposed to her full glory, he felt as though he would come apart then and there, as he gazed at her with breathless appreciation.
She was not shy, by any means. She lay there, feeling his clear blue gaze caress her as she stared back and looked at the finely sculpted body of the man before her. He was, put short, simply beautiful. Each detailed muscle defined the strength that lay dormant within Lee Adama, strength that she suspected even he himself was afraid to unleash. Her gaze traveled further down.
His member stood erect, surrounded by fine, dark hair. She had oft heard the nuggets talking about what their CAG might look like under the layers of clothes that regulation required him to wear, but not even the most creative of those imaginative minds did the man justice. He was a god descended from the heavens.
He was perfect.
Almost unconsciously, she reached out to touch him, her fingers lightly trailing down the expanse of his chest, his stomach, and then even lower. She heard his sharp intake of breath when she reached his penis, felt the shudder of desire he tried so hard to repress - and she knew she wanted him, more than anything else that was left from a world that had died.
"Kara, what are you-." he hissed, but was cut off when she surged beneath him, flipping him over so that she was on top. With a positively wicked grin, she leaned over to whisper into his ear.
"I intend to ravish you, sir."
Whatever words he intended to say were lost to him the next moment when Kara leaned even further to kiss his neck. She trailed her lips over his Adam's apple, moving along to the side to his pulse point, biting down lightly with her teeth before licking the sting away. He moaned aloud as he grew even harder.
Kara's grin grew, if that was possible, even wider at the CAG's moan. Ah, but she was only beginning. Splaying her fingers wide, she raked them over his chest, passing over the rough texture of hair and satin skin below. Her lips followed her hands, small, light kisses raining down until they reached one small, pink nipple.
Lee gave a very audible gasp when he felt Kara's mouth close in, biting down and lavishing, and yet still going even lower. Then he felt her hands on him, gently stroking him, and he could not help but let out a long groan. Kara on her part seemed to enjoy drawing such ardent reactions from the normally stiff CAG, as she did not ease up at all; rather, she closed her fist around him, and Lee inadvertently thrust into the warm cavity of her hand. Quickly he flipped them so that he was on top once more. He drew Kara's hand up from where it was wrapped around him, bringing it to his lips and placing a soft kiss on it, on each knuckle that he knew was broken and hurt at some point. He felt unbridled anger at whoever committed such an atrocity against this beautiful creature. Yet he also felt a swell of pride at the fact that she had survived it, and had not let it break her.
"You're going to have to stop that," he said hoarsely. Kara raised her eyebrows, and he couldn't resist placing a kiss on each one of them.
"I don't mind..." he had to clear his throat, "...I don't mind being ravished by you, Lieutenant, but keep that up and you won't be doing any 'ravishing' for a while."
Kara laughed, but the giggle was cut short when he descended southward, leaving a trail of kisses just as she had. He paid just enough attention on her breasts, lightly massaging them while he took care to greet each nipple with a kiss of its very own - but he did not linger. He continued his little journey down her body, until he paused. Kara raised her head to see what Lee had stopped for, only to realize he was staring at the two scars on her stomach, previously unnoticed thanks to a carelessly strewn of clothing, his gaze smoldering with what she knew was a burst of cold fury.
"How..." he whispered, tracing the small crescent shape of the scar that caused her even more pain - not physical but emotional - than the round one right above it.
"How did you..."
His voice was barely a murmur, but it was ice cold, and Kara felt the heated moment dying away. Angrily she sat up, pulling her clothes to her and about to leave the bunk, when a hand darted out and grasped her arm just above the elbow.
"Don't shut me out, Kara," he pleaded. His grip on her arm was tight, but not tight enough to hold her back if she really wanted to go.
"Please."
She shrugged him off, but sat there, facing away from him. This was a mistake. She should have realized it was a mistake, not-
"Kara."
She felt strong arms wrap themselves around her waist, pulling her into a warm hug. She tried to pull away, but he would not let go; in the end, she gave up her struggle and relaxed, not melting into his embrace but not fighting it either.
"I'm not angry at you, Kara. I'm angry at whoever did this to you. I'm angry because I couldn't be there for you. And I'm sorry..." his voice cracked there, and it was a full moment before he managed to begin again.
"I'm just sorry you're the one who had to go through all this shit."
She figures she should have pulled away when he kissed her neck. She figures she should have shrugged him off when his warm hands caressed the two scars that had caused her so much anguish, when his lips placed comforting kisses on them and made the pain melt away into nothingness. But she didn't, and she didn't resist when he laid her back down on the bed, never once breaking contact with her.
Later, he would ask her about the scars, and where she got them from. Later, she would recount the horrific memory of Caprica back to him, of what the cylons had done to her, and what she had had to do to escape. Later, he would hold her, comfort her. Right now, all Lee wanted to do was soothe the pain away and show Kara what she meant to him.
She lay there, gasping and arching as he worshipped her with his hands, lips, teeth and tongue - caressing, tasting, nipping, soothing. He did not let an inch of her body go by without attention, kissing and stroking her from head to toe. He did not loiter in one place though; he was intent, not idle, for his attention was elsewhere. She knew exactly when his mouth left her breasts to go down once more, down, down, and farther down, until he reached the very core of her being. He wouldn't-
Except he did.
Kara nearly came off the bed when she felt Lee's warm mouth latch itself onto her, teasing the small bunch of nerves, swirling and rubbing, and -
"AH GODS, LEE!" she shrieked, feeling his tongue enter her. She reached down to hold his head in place, and felt him chuckle against her - she would have socked him one any other time, but right now she was too caught up reveling in the pleasure the warmth of his mouth and the vibrations of his laughter were wreaking on her body. So instead, she merely curled her fists into his hair and pushed him deeper into her.
Apollo was only happy to comply. He licked her, slowly, ardently caressing her as he replaced his tongue with two fingers. He grinned when he felt Kara writhe against him, all the while stretching her gently, then adding a third finger. It was almost more than he could bear, watching the face of the woman he loved turned up in ecstasy. He only stopped when he felt her begin to tighten around him. It was not time yet for her release.
Kara lifted her head when she felt Lee pause in his ministrations, looking at him confusedly. Damn, and she had been so very close, too... And then she realized he had known that all along. She scowled at him. He merely smiled that damn smile of his.
"What do you want, Kara?" he asked, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. Kara growled. Lee only grinned and extracted his fingers.
"Look at me and tell me what you want," he whispered.
"..."
"Hm...? Can't hear you, Kara…" Lee chuckled and closed his lips around her earlobe, gently suckling. Kara moaned.
"You. I want you," she rasped out. Lee pulled away slightly. She couldn't help it, and a sob escaped her throat.
"Please... please Lee..."
"Shh," he hushed, and tucked a stray lock of blond hair behind her ear. The grin was still there, but it was softer, gentler. "You always had me," he murmured, as he moved himself in position, aligned with her body.
A shift of legs from her, a thrust from him, and suddenly he was there, her warmth surrounding him as they both let out a strangled cry of pleasure. He gave her a minute to adjust before inching deeper into her, careful lest he caused her any form of discomfort. He began a slow rhythm for them, setting the pace just so that the pleasure was building up slowly within both their bodies.
Oh, but they fit perfectly together. Lee had been with his fair share of women in the past, and it had been enjoyable, but never did they get close to the mind numbing pleasure he felt with Kara encompassing him. No other woman had been able to make him desperate; no other woman had been able to make him let go with such carefree abandon.
Because there was no other woman like Kara.
He gave a slow, long push and watched her groan in ecstasy. She was beautiful no matter how many times he gazed upon her face; whether she was in the cockpit shooting down the cylons, under the Viper fixing the wires with a flashlight between her teeth, or underneath him moaning out his name, it never changed that feeling of awe, of love that stirred within him.
"I love you," he whispered amidst groans of his own. No take backs, she had said. And he wouldn't take it back for the whole world. Lee Adama loved Kara Thrace.
Kara's eyes snapped open. It was not the first time she heard him proclaim his love for her, but it was the first time she had heard him say those three words with such raw, unbridled emotion. It wasn't even passion or fervor or lust that drove him to say it.
"Lee-." She called out, feeling herself nearing the edge. Lee held her close; he was almost there too.
"Together," he managed to gasp out, his thrusts growing increasingly more forceful and erratic. A storm of ardor was raging inside, pushing against him, building up to a crescendo that roared in his ears until he could hear nothing but the song their bodies were singing. He thrust hard one, two, three times before Kara tightened around him once more, then gave a long groan as he let himself go, let himself come apart.
Kara cried out when she felt him release at the same time as she did. She called out to him, surging against him, and yet holding him tightly at the same time. Wave after wave of pleasure coursed over them, wracking their bodies until they were both spent and leaving an electric afterglow that they had no choice but to simply bask in. Lee held out for another moment or so before finally allowing himself to collapse, though he was careful to drop off to one side so that he would not fall directly onto the woman beneath him. He pulled the previously neglected covers over them, drawing them tight around their bodies so that the shared warmth would not escape. The ship was cool at best, after all, and though he felt warm all over, he did not want to be responsible for either of them catching a cold in their sleep.
He lay there, off to a side so as not to crush her with his weight, head resting on her chest as he panted and tried to recover from the mind blowing experience they had just shared. Out of a moment of tenderness, she brushed the dark hair out of his eyes and placed a small, chaste kiss on top of his forehead. She could feel him smiling against her, and smiled as well as she cradled his head. For a few blissful moments they stayed like that, still joined, content just to be with each other. It was Lee who broke the silence first.
"Ah... Kara... that was the most..."
"Shh. I know," she said softly. Trust Lee to get emotional after 'making love.' Had it been any other man, she would have told him to shut up, but this wasn't any other man. This was Lee.
"I know," she repeated, stroking his hair. He looked a bit lost for a moment, but then a slow, adorable grin crept its way to his lips, and he lay his head down once more over her heart.
"I love you, too," she said after another moment of silence passed by. She felt his body tense before he looked up to gaze at her with - was that confusion? Shock? She could not read his expression, so she merely stared back, hoping she had not said the wrong thing.
Her worry proved to be for naught though, when Lee blinked once, tears falling from both of his amazing blue eyes as he leaned forward to capture her mouth in a sweet, tender kiss.
"Oh, Kara... Kara... I love you... So much... I don't know how I would be here if you weren't... I don't know... I don't want to," he breathed against her mouth when he pulled slightly away for air. He looked like a small child then, so sweet and fragile that Kara did not know if she could ever let go of this man.
Three simple words had brought all the barriers Lee had put up crashing down around him, until he was as vulnerable as the day he came down from the heavens into this world. Yet he was safe; she was holding him, protecting him, loving him.
And so he clung to her, and she to him, oblivious to everything in what was left of their world except for themselves. Lee pulled Kara closer into his embrace, wrapping his arms around her to keep her in a cocoon of warmth. She seemed satisfied, and her eyelids began to droop; she was tired, warm, and comfortable. The steady beating of his heart was lulling her to sleep.
Right before she drifted off, she heard Lee whispering into her ear. She managed to focus just enough to hear it, but by then her head was already being overcome with sleep; she would ask him again in the morning, since she knew that he would still be there, around and still one with her.
Lee smiled as he kissed Kara's temple softly.
"No take backs," he murmured once more, before finally relaxing and following her into deep sleep.
"So let me get this straight. You're saying the CAG was too tired and you didn't want to bother him while he was getting some hard earned rest," Tyrol repeated skeptically. Hot Dog and Kat nodded slowly.
"You're saying you want to help the CAG because he's been pulling all those double shifts for you and you want to repay him the favor."
Another slow nod.
Tyrol narrowed his eyes and squinted at the two pilots before him. It was unnatural, after all; Hot Dog had just flown the afternoon shift, and usually he would have been out of the deck by now and hitting the showers. As would Kat.
If the Chief had any questions though, he obviously wasn't saying anything.
"Fine then," the technician said, turning around to look over his Vipers once more.
Only when the Chief was out of earshot did the two Viper pilots gave an audible sigh.
They would admit they felt guilty about the CAG pulling double, triple shifts just so they could catch a couple extra hours of sleep. They would admit they wanted to help the CAG out a little.
However, they would never admit they heard two sets of snores behind the curtain of Starbuck's bunk. They would never admit they saw the tanks and sweats and socks carelessly strewn all around the floor.
No, they would never admit to any of that.
Never.
Fin
Author's Note: This is actually my very first M-rated fic. I did my very best, but I know it's still lacking in many ways; perhaps in the future I will return to revise this once again.