Lee trailed the ice cube along the reddened skin of her arm - Shouldn't it be his brother's responsibility to take care of Kara when she decided to make a social statement on her skin?- and tried to ignore the way his stomach flipped as a small moan fell from her lips.


Lee was teaching a military tactics class as a favor for an old classmate when he first ran into her. He was at the grocery store, picking up some food to get him through the next week, when he caught sight of a familiar crop of short blond hair. It took him a second to pull his focus away from her to see where she had come from. Rolling his eyes, he tightened his grip on the bag of food and started jogging to catch up with her.

Tattoo parlors and Kara Thrace only came together when something was wrong.

"Kara!"

The sound of his voice made her pause, and Lee was happy to see her scowl turn up into a smile when she recognized who had called out. "What the frak are you doing here, Adama?"

"Teaching a few of Long's classes while he's on his honeymoon." Lee fell into line beside her as she started walking. "So, your arm?"

Kara glanced down at the bandaged on the inside of her forearm. "Yeah, my arm."

"You want to tell me what that's about?"

"It's not new," Kara said as way of explanation. "I got it a few days ago."

"Really? I talked to Zak yesterday, asked how you were doing. He didn't mention anything."

Kara glanced around the street before letting out a sigh. "Can we not do this in the open? My new apartment's a few blocks from here."

Lee wasn't really sure what she was talking about, but he knew that tone when he heard it. Kara only got serious when she was about to slug you or cry. Lee wished he could say it was the former.

Kara locked the door behind him the second they were both in the apartment. Lee found himself wondering what exactly she was trying to keep out. He was about to ask her when he realized she had already scurried away. He shook his head and chuckled softly. Same old Kara, thinking she could run from anything that made her uncomfortable.

Lee's eyes wandered the apartment before finally resting on the small bag Kara had set on the kitchen counter before rushing out of sight. His curiosity got the better of him after only a few seconds, and he walked over to the bag in order to slowly explore its contents.

"How's life been treating you?" Kara asked as she reentered the room.

Lee looked up to see she had changed out of her normal military-issue cargos and slipped into sweats. "Gooey ice cubes, Kara?" he exclaimed, ignoring her question completely.

Kara let out a laugh. "You know, if you were on Sagittaron, I could cut off your hand for going through my things."

Lee rolled his eyes. "Maybe about twenty centuries ago."

"I'd make it happen," Kara laughed. She sat down on one of the kitchen stools and took the 'gooey' ice cube tray out of his hand. "They're for the tattoo, Lee. It's been itching out of control since I got it, and I just can't concentrate. I went back to the parlor to see if they had anything."

"And they gave you gooey ice cubes?"

"Popper… that's the guy who gave me the tattoo… he said it's this weird mix of ointment and lotion and some kind of cooling agent, all watered down and mixed together to create itch relieving goodness. The guy swears by it."

"So you put this stuff on your arm and the sting goes away?"

"If I can stop from shaking, yeah, that's how it's supposed to work."

Lee's eyes narrowed. "Shaking?"

"I told you. It really fraking itches."

Lee suddenly noticed Kara's knees were shaking, and he realized she was fighting to keep her hands off the bandage on her arm. "Let me do it."

Kara's face lit up in confusion. "Huh?"

"Let me take the gooey ice cube and rub it on your poor itching skin before you snap," Lee said, clearly mocking her predicament.

"Frak you."

"Frak you…" Lee prodded.

"Frak you, you insensitive son of a bitch," Kara continued. She glared at him for a moment before holding out her arm in invitation.

Lee's fingers gently pulled at the adhesive keeping the gauze in place and was happy to see she wasn't tensing up. He knew firsthand how crappy an impulse to get marked could be. He had learned the hard way that Academy nuggets, ambrosia, and a rather manipulative flight instructor should not be mixed. Lee's eyes flicked up to look at Kara, and he smiled.

"What?"

"You remind me of my flight instructor in Academy," Lee said before turning his attention back to the job at hand. He picked up one of the cubes and snuck another glance at the ink-stained skin on her arm. "Bona fiscalia?"

"It's from the ancient language of Kobol." Lee didn't respond. He knew if he stayed silent, she'd keep explaining. "It means public property."

Lee trailed the ice cube along the reddened skin of her arm - Shouldn't it be his brother's responsibility to take care of Kara when she decided to make a social statement on her skin?- and tried to ignore the way his stomach flipped as a small moan fell from her lips. "Why public property?"

"Just something someone said to me the other day." Kara closed her eyes and bit down on her lip. "Gods, that feels good."

Lee paused the small circles he was making on her arm and waited until she looked over at him. "Public property?"

"My reputation finally caught up to me." Kara sighed. "I've been called worse things than a slut who'll put out to any man who gives her a second glance."

Lee stared down at the tattoo for a few seconds before it finally hit him why such a random comment would send her on a tailspin that ended with a permanent alteration to her appearance. "Zak always did have a temper."

Kara shrugged. "I know he didn't mean it."

Lee shook off her defense of his baby brother. "No, I taught him better than that."

"He was just angry. We met an old friend I had in Academy, and let's just say Karl started in on some of the wilder experiences we shared. Zak wasn't happy."

"The Major incident?"

Kara nodded. She wasn't surprised Lee knew about what happened between herself and Major Lake. He had been in the Academy at the same time she was, and it was the chief gossip for well over two months.

Lee's fingers brushed against soft skin, and he felt Kara wince. Looking down, he realized the cube was completely melted. "Sorry."

"Not a problem," Kara said, pulling away.

"Zak will come around, Kara. He loves you," Lee pointed out, wondering why Kara always seemed to end up ducking her head in shame whenever he was around.

"I know."

Sighing, Lee stood up and reached for his bag. "I think you're over the worst of it. You should be able to handle the rest of the recuperation on your own."

"Thanks," Kara said.

Lee was halfway to the door when he heard her call out his name. Turning, he saw a sight he found himself thinking of more and more these days. Kara was sitting on the kitchen stool, smirking at him in that way that said she knew something he didn't. "Yes?"

"What's in the bag, Adama?"

"Dinner," Lee said simply.

"Got enough for two?"

Lee shook his head and started walking back into the kitchen. If Kara wanted his company, who was he to refuse? Besides, maybe his presence would help kill the time before Zak realized what an idiot he was. When Lee was finished unpacking the bag of groceries, he chanced a glance over at her. She was smirking again like always.

"So seriously, Adama, how's life been treating you?"