Fic: Unexpected Lessons
Title: Unexpected Lessons
Rating: M
Word Count: ~3400
Pairings: Bill/Saul, Laura/Lee
Disclaimer: don't own them.
Summary: Laura discovers the merit of visiting the gym...
A/N: This is set in the Unexpected 'verse, some point between " Unexpected Friends" and " Unexpected Endings." The 'verse begins with this ficlet.
A/N2: Thanks to lanalucy for the beta. *hugs*
Laura was recovering quickly, but she’d lost a lot of body mass after the rigorous surgery and multiple rounds of diloxan. Her doctor was cautiously optimistic that she would remain in remission, and she shared his opinion, especially his caution. Her boys, however, leaned heavily in the optimistic direction.
Lee was all smiles and supportive loving care. It was amazing how he managed to make her feel like the most beautiful woman in the worlds when she knew that wasn’t the case, like when she lounged around their house in sweats and her scarf. He always made a point of grabbing her and holding her close then. And he didn’t treat her as if she was breakable like glass, either. He treated her like a woman, a desirable woman, and she loved him for it.
Bill and Saul visited frequently, and she loved seeing her future fathers-in-law. And yeah, it still freaked her out about their ages being so close to hers and all the feelings that went with that. But once Bill got past his reservations, and Saul his...Saulness, they were very supportive of her relationship with Lee, and she was grateful to both of them for their friendship.
That day, however, she was ready to curse all the men in her life, as they were all out to make her life miserable. She found herself standing in the middle of a gym, wearing her sweats and her scarf, and she had no idea where to begin. As soon as the doctor had mentioned she should work on rebuilding her muscle mass, her boys began harping on her going to the gym. They each offered to take her--separately--but Laura knew it was something she wanted to do alone, at least the first time. As much as she loved them and knew they loved her, there were still certain things she wanted to keep to herself, and she wasn’t in a hurry to humiliate herself in their presence.
Maybe it was silly, considering how they’d each seen her at her worst already, but that seemed less personal somehow since it was attributed to the cancer, which was decidedly not of her body, an unwelcome invasion. Her lack of coordination to skip rope, however, was all her, and it was something she wanted to avoid sharing with her boys.
Laura stared down her old nemesis, and then she picked it up by its ends and positioned her feet on the middle of the rope. Then she jumped, using her hands to quickly throw the rope over her body and back to her feet to jump again. Like she expected, she missed.
She tried again. Faring slightly better, but still, she missed. Again. And again. She failed. With each failure, her frustration increased.
Not that it surprised her. She had never been able to skip rope in fifty years. Why in the worlds would she think she could after months of diloxan treatment?
After another failed attempt, she let out a huff that was louder than she intended, but it perfectly expressed her feelings at the moment.
“How’s it going?”
She jumped at the sound - sans rope - and turned to her fiance. “What are you doing here?”
He gave her that sheepish grin. Gods, she loved that look, usually; at the moment, she wanted to hit him. “I wanted to see you...in action.” He gestured to the rope in her hands. “It looks like you’re having some difficulty with that.”
That was an understatement. She shrugged. “Yeah, a bit.”
He didn’t need to know that she had absolutely no ability with it.
He nodded. “What if...what if we tried it without the rope for a bit?”
That was a thought. She agreed, and he moved in front of her, facing her. “Okay, we’re going to jump without the rope. And we’re going to move our arms through the rotations, and we’ll go from there.”
This was why he was the CAG on Atlantia. He was a natural teacher and leader. Maybe that’s why she got along so well with him, so easily. They just...clicked.
They jumped, moving their arms through the full rotation, repeating the process a few times.
He reached for her hand, squeezing it. “Very good. Ready to try with the rope?”
She nodded. And they tried it together. She did it! Once. Twice. Thrice. Up to five times! Then she dropped the rope but not out of clumsiness. She rushed into Lee’s arms, kissing his cheek and hugging him tight.
He laughed. “I guess you’re happy.”
She smacked his arm. “A little bit, yeah.”
“Ready for more? Or do you want to get out of here?” He shot her that look.
So she grabbed his hand. “Let’s go.”
They headed to the exit. “You do know we’re all sweaty. We’ll need--”
“That’s exactly what I had in mind, dear.”
“Gods, I love you.”
She hmmed. “Me, too.”
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
They made it home without pawing at each other, which was probably because they rode in separate cars. Of course, they raced home, rushing through the door to see...Bill and Saul sitting on their couch.
Laura groaned inwardly. She loved her best friends and enjoyed their company, but sometimes she really regretted giving Bill their spare key. She couldn’t stay annoyed long, though, not with Bill beaming at her like that. “Laura, you look...great.” He took in Lee’s appearance, as they approached the sofa in the middle of the room. “You two hit the gym?”
The combination of light and shade streaming through the back and side windows created a very pleasant ambiance in the room. It was the perfect room for reading - or company, unexpected or otherwise. It was one benefit of living in the outskirts of the city - additional property and an improved view.
She and Lee stopped in front of the sofa to greet their guests instead of sitting in the armchairs across from the sofa. She was unwilling to sit on any furniture without taking a shower first, and Lee was even more...careful with their belongings than she. They had spent hours poring through home and garden magazines to design the perfect home - a ranch-style. Lee had even emailed their builder and contractor several times a week for regular progress reports during the building process. So they were a little protective of their furniture, particularly the cream colored matching sofa and chairs.
She nodded at Bill. “Yes, dear. You can stop hounding me now.” She looked around to face each of the men in her life. “All of you.”
Bill got that sulky look. “We just…”
Laura gave him her appeasing smile. “I know, Bill. Thank you.”
He grinned. It was too easy with these men. Or maybe it was just because she was used to wrangling difficult people, bending them to her will. He reached for something on the cushion beside him. A book, of course.
“Um, we came by to loan you this.” He handed it to her. Murder on the Orion by R.T. Roberts. “I just bought this a few days ago and couldn’t put it down.” He pointed to the author. “I know we’ve never heard of this author, but I’m pretty sure it’s a pseudonym for Nick Taylo.”
She raised a brow.
“I know, but there were so many similarities. Not in plot so much but in the style.”
She grinned. “I look forward to reading this. Then we can compare notes.”
Lee sidled up closer to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. “Should Saul and I be jealous, Dad?”
Bill, Saul, and Laura snorted simultaneously. And Laura started laughing, which made Lee grin.
Bill stood up and clapped Lee on the back. “She’s all yours, son.”
When Laura stopped laughing she noticed Saul looking between her and Lee. Then he cleared his throat. “All right, Bill, we should get on the road. Them fish won’t catch themselves.”
Bill nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.” He pulled Laura in for a hug. “We’ll talk this week, okay? You look good.”
She kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Bill. I’ll call you tomorrow. Promise.”
Bill and Lee did their awkward hug maneuver, and Saul surprised Laura by giving her a bear hug. “Sorry ‘bout the intrusion, Laura. You know the Old Man,” he said in her ear.
She kissed his cheek. “Indeed I do. Thanks, Saul.”
Saul shrugged. Then he half led, half dragged Bill out of the apartment.
Laura waved after them, thanking them for dropping by. Lee followed them to the door, closing it behind them. He turned back to her. “Can you believe them?!”
Laura grinned. “Yes, I can.” She ran to him, hugging him close. “They’re sweet.”
He kissed her forehead. “I guess I should be glad you get along so well. It’s just once you two get started--”
She grabbed the back of his head, pulling his mouth down to hers, kissing him hard. “Let’s not talk about your fathers anymore, okay?”
He grinned. “Yes, Sir.”
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////
She pulled away from him and started a playful jog to their master bedroom. He shook his head. Gods, she was amazing. And she was his. At least as much as she allowed herself to be. There was no mistaking the fact that she was in charge. And he...loved it.
She was so sensitive about her hair. It wasn’t something she’d ever said, but he knew it was her favorite of her own features. And as much as he loved it, as hard as it had been to watch it fall away before he’d shaved it for her - he had fond memories of that night - the hair loss was nothing compared to how he’d have felt if he had lost her.
He was a soldier, a fighter pilot, prepared to die every time he entered his viper, prepared to send the men and women serving under him out to die. But no matter how much Laura had tried to prepare him for what she had thought was the inevitable, he hadn’t been prepared to lose her.
Losing her hair was evidence she was fighting, and he had been determined that she’d win, so he’d welcomed it - even as it had saddened them both. The hair would return; she wouldn’t have if she’d stopped treatment, which she had argued in favor of a few times - always prefacing it with stories about her mother, about how watching her mother die had been the most terrifying experience of her life and how the treatments had done nothing for her mother’s quality of life. He had been determined to prove her wrong, to show her life was worth living, and he had initiated a regimen of “loving her healthy.” And it had worked, or at least he liked to think it had - even the doctor indicated it had been her positivity and constant support more than the treatment that had led to her remission.
The hair was slowly growing back. In the meantime, his fiancee looked absolutely adorable in a scarf. It brought out her cheekbones and eyes in ways her hair hadn’t, and he loved looking at her. He shared his father’s disbelief in the gods, but when he looked at her, he could see...divinity at work.
She was calling him. “Captain Apollo, are you coming?”
He grinned, remembering their first date - when he’d told her his rank and callsign and she’d combined them, renaming him. He saluted her. “Yes, Sir.”
Then he took off, jogging after her, overtaking her as they entered their bedroom. He took her hand then, pulling her into the bathroom. She pushed him against the door, claiming his mouth. He pulled her tighter against him, moaning into her mouth. She pulled back, smiling. “You still with me, Apollo?”
He grinned. “It’s Captain Apollo to you.” He pushed forward, grabbing her by the shoulders, and moving them toward the glass door. He pulled the door open, reached in and turned the knobs, adjusting the water speed and temperature.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Her eyebrows raised. Gods, he loved that look.
He smirked. “Not at all. Just preparing.”
“Mmm. I do love how prepared you are.”
He lowered his hands to the hem of her sweatshirt, lifting it slowly. Her stomach was beginning to fill out again. He rubbed it affectionately.
“You’re probably the first boyfriend in history to want his girlfriend to gain weight.”
“I’d love you at any weight.”
She reached under his fleet issued tanks, moving her hands along his stomach and up to his chest. He’d been harder and flatter when they met. The stress of her condition rounded him around the middle more than he’d like - increased exercise would be good for them both. “Me too,” she said. She patted him. “There’s more of you to love now.”
“I’m cutting it close, though. Almost out of regulations.”
She hmmed. “We’ll just have to go to the gym more often.”
He grinned. “I didn’t think you liked it.”
“I’m beginning to see the merit.” She pinched his nipple between her thumb and forefinger.
He untied the knot in her scarf, freeing her beautiful head to his sight. Red specks marked where her hair was beginning to return. He rubbed his hands against the fuzz, knowing she liked the sensation on her scalp.
He lifted her shirt over her head and threw it on the floor. Her sports bra was tight against her skin. He went to grasp the bottom of it, but she pushed his hands away, lifting it herself. Once she was free, he took that as permission to dive in. He was always careful and loving with them, even as they were killing her. According to the pamphlet, it was important to her that he loved all of her, so he did. After the last biopsy had come back clear, he could be less gentle, and when the sensitivity had gone away, she encouraged his play. He licked and nipped all around her, marking her as his. She moaned, grabbing the back of his head and holding him there.
The glass was starting to steam up. The water was ready for them.
He lowered his hands to the top of her pants and pushed them down, with her helping. He threw off his own tanks and yanked down his pants and boxers. She bent down to remove her socks, as he pulled his off and threw them in a heap with the rest of their clothes.
Finally, he pulled her into the shower with him, pushing her against the glass as he entered from behind. Her hands moved against the glass as he pumped into her, holding her breasts. She moaned his name.
“You feel so good, Laura.”
“You too.”
It was so good to have nothing between them. That she was healthy enough for them to do this without fear made him happier than he could express.
He came sooner than he would have liked, but considering the day they’d had, he was really surprised he’d lasted that long. “I love you.”
She turned to him, claiming his mouth. Then she reached for the bar of soap, worked it into a lather, and began rubbing it against his chest. He groaned as she worked the soap against his abs - what was left of them. Then she moved down to his legs. When she nodded her satisfaction that he was clean, he turned so she could get his back.
“All right, scoot down so I can get your hair,” she said, and he complied.
Her fingers felt so good moving through his hair, scrubbing his scalp. “You could do this for a living.”
She giggled. “I’m only interested in your beautiful head, Apollo.” She gave a satisfied hum and said, “My turn.”
“With pleasure.”
///////////////////////////////////////////
Once they were clean and dry, they collapsed on their bed, pulling back the tan sheets and climbing in, resting their heads against the black pillows. He spooned behind her, holding her tight. “How do you feel?”
She hmmed. “Good. Sore, but in the best way.”
“I was thinking we could order from that Tauron place, The Bull. Dad says it’s pretty good. Not like his Tsattie but good.”
“That sounds like a plan, Captain.”
He kissed her scalp. “I’m not gonna want to go back. After my leave, I mean.”
She turned to him, pulling him tightly against her. “Do you want to do something else?”
He sighed. “I don’t know. I joined because it was what Dad expected - even if I didn’t want to admit it - and they paid for college. But...I don’t know. It’s such a part of me.”
She ran her fingers through his hair. “There’s so much to you. So much you could do.”
“My requirement’s up soon. Then I can think about what I want to do next.” He kissed her. “You’re so brave. You just...get into whatever you need. Politics, teaching. I’m..I’m not like that.”
“Yes, you are. More than you know.” She ran her hand along his chest. “Promise me, no matter what you decide, I can still call you ‘Captain Apollo’.”
“Always.”
She rested her head against his chest, and he could hear her breathing slow until she fell asleep. It had been a lot of activity for her that day. But it was good, and they would continue working out until she regained her energy - and he lost some weight. In the meantime, mid-afternoon naps were nice. He held her close and allowed his eyes to close, but he couldn’t stop the thoughts.
He didn’t tell her he had always toyed with the notion of becoming a lawyer, but he knew she would support him - no matter what. Maybe he would ask his father for his grandfather’s law books. Resolved to do that much, he fell asleep, confident in their future.
////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Bill sat behind the wheel of their pickup. The Old Girl reminded him of Galactica in a lot of ways: She was old, beginning to rust along the edges. He was starting to see cracks forming, but he loved his old truck. Their truck. And it may not have been pretty to look at, but it still ran great. Much better than those new models. He had every expectation of getting another hundred thousand klicks out of her.
There was plenty of daylight left to get some quality fishing time in. They always released what they caught anyway.
He turned down the radio, which was tuned into the fleet news, and glanced at his husband. “I did it again, didn’t I?”
Saul shrugged. “A little, yeah.” He grinned. “Laura’ll forgive you, I’m sure. She’ll get into that godsdamned book and call you, confirming or maybe refuting your claim.”
Bill refocused on the road, but he smiled anyway. “She’s great, isn’t she?”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe we should call next time.”
Saul snorted. “That’s probably a good idea.”
Bill chuckled. “I know I wouldn’t want them coming to our place uninvited.”
Saul laughed. “Absolutely not. Gods, that would be awful.”
Bill shook the nightmarish thoughts away. “You said Laura would forgive me. What about Lee?”
Saul put his hand on Bill’s thigh. “He’ll forget we were even there.”
Oh, right. His son had done well for himself. A good position within the fleet. A beautiful woman with an even more beautiful heart (even if she hid it sometimes) as his fiancee. They were so well suited for each other. So much better than Bill had been with Carolanne. He could understand how Lee would forget everything else when he looked at Laura. It was how Bill felt when he looked at Saul.
Bill put his hand on top of Saul’s. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Old Man.”
Bill focused on their surroundings. They were getting close. It was one of the last days of summer, and they were going to spend it right, fishing and drinking ambrosia.
Next
Rating: M
Word Count: ~3400
Pairings: Bill/Saul, Laura/Lee
Disclaimer: don't own them.
Summary: Laura discovers the merit of visiting the gym...
A/N: This is set in the Unexpected 'verse, some point between " Unexpected Friends" and " Unexpected Endings." The 'verse begins with this ficlet.
A/N2: Thanks to lanalucy for the beta. *hugs*
Laura was recovering quickly, but she’d lost a lot of body mass after the rigorous surgery and multiple rounds of diloxan. Her doctor was cautiously optimistic that she would remain in remission, and she shared his opinion, especially his caution. Her boys, however, leaned heavily in the optimistic direction.
Lee was all smiles and supportive loving care. It was amazing how he managed to make her feel like the most beautiful woman in the worlds when she knew that wasn’t the case, like when she lounged around their house in sweats and her scarf. He always made a point of grabbing her and holding her close then. And he didn’t treat her as if she was breakable like glass, either. He treated her like a woman, a desirable woman, and she loved him for it.
Bill and Saul visited frequently, and she loved seeing her future fathers-in-law. And yeah, it still freaked her out about their ages being so close to hers and all the feelings that went with that. But once Bill got past his reservations, and Saul his...Saulness, they were very supportive of her relationship with Lee, and she was grateful to both of them for their friendship.
That day, however, she was ready to curse all the men in her life, as they were all out to make her life miserable. She found herself standing in the middle of a gym, wearing her sweats and her scarf, and she had no idea where to begin. As soon as the doctor had mentioned she should work on rebuilding her muscle mass, her boys began harping on her going to the gym. They each offered to take her--separately--but Laura knew it was something she wanted to do alone, at least the first time. As much as she loved them and knew they loved her, there were still certain things she wanted to keep to herself, and she wasn’t in a hurry to humiliate herself in their presence.
Maybe it was silly, considering how they’d each seen her at her worst already, but that seemed less personal somehow since it was attributed to the cancer, which was decidedly not of her body, an unwelcome invasion. Her lack of coordination to skip rope, however, was all her, and it was something she wanted to avoid sharing with her boys.
Laura stared down her old nemesis, and then she picked it up by its ends and positioned her feet on the middle of the rope. Then she jumped, using her hands to quickly throw the rope over her body and back to her feet to jump again. Like she expected, she missed.
She tried again. Faring slightly better, but still, she missed. Again. And again. She failed. With each failure, her frustration increased.
Not that it surprised her. She had never been able to skip rope in fifty years. Why in the worlds would she think she could after months of diloxan treatment?
After another failed attempt, she let out a huff that was louder than she intended, but it perfectly expressed her feelings at the moment.
“How’s it going?”
She jumped at the sound - sans rope - and turned to her fiance. “What are you doing here?”
He gave her that sheepish grin. Gods, she loved that look, usually; at the moment, she wanted to hit him. “I wanted to see you...in action.” He gestured to the rope in her hands. “It looks like you’re having some difficulty with that.”
That was an understatement. She shrugged. “Yeah, a bit.”
He didn’t need to know that she had absolutely no ability with it.
He nodded. “What if...what if we tried it without the rope for a bit?”
That was a thought. She agreed, and he moved in front of her, facing her. “Okay, we’re going to jump without the rope. And we’re going to move our arms through the rotations, and we’ll go from there.”
This was why he was the CAG on Atlantia. He was a natural teacher and leader. Maybe that’s why she got along so well with him, so easily. They just...clicked.
They jumped, moving their arms through the full rotation, repeating the process a few times.
He reached for her hand, squeezing it. “Very good. Ready to try with the rope?”
She nodded. And they tried it together. She did it! Once. Twice. Thrice. Up to five times! Then she dropped the rope but not out of clumsiness. She rushed into Lee’s arms, kissing his cheek and hugging him tight.
He laughed. “I guess you’re happy.”
She smacked his arm. “A little bit, yeah.”
“Ready for more? Or do you want to get out of here?” He shot her that look.
So she grabbed his hand. “Let’s go.”
They headed to the exit. “You do know we’re all sweaty. We’ll need--”
“That’s exactly what I had in mind, dear.”
“Gods, I love you.”
She hmmed. “Me, too.”
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
They made it home without pawing at each other, which was probably because they rode in separate cars. Of course, they raced home, rushing through the door to see...Bill and Saul sitting on their couch.
Laura groaned inwardly. She loved her best friends and enjoyed their company, but sometimes she really regretted giving Bill their spare key. She couldn’t stay annoyed long, though, not with Bill beaming at her like that. “Laura, you look...great.” He took in Lee’s appearance, as they approached the sofa in the middle of the room. “You two hit the gym?”
The combination of light and shade streaming through the back and side windows created a very pleasant ambiance in the room. It was the perfect room for reading - or company, unexpected or otherwise. It was one benefit of living in the outskirts of the city - additional property and an improved view.
She and Lee stopped in front of the sofa to greet their guests instead of sitting in the armchairs across from the sofa. She was unwilling to sit on any furniture without taking a shower first, and Lee was even more...careful with their belongings than she. They had spent hours poring through home and garden magazines to design the perfect home - a ranch-style. Lee had even emailed their builder and contractor several times a week for regular progress reports during the building process. So they were a little protective of their furniture, particularly the cream colored matching sofa and chairs.
She nodded at Bill. “Yes, dear. You can stop hounding me now.” She looked around to face each of the men in her life. “All of you.”
Bill got that sulky look. “We just…”
Laura gave him her appeasing smile. “I know, Bill. Thank you.”
He grinned. It was too easy with these men. Or maybe it was just because she was used to wrangling difficult people, bending them to her will. He reached for something on the cushion beside him. A book, of course.
“Um, we came by to loan you this.” He handed it to her. Murder on the Orion by R.T. Roberts. “I just bought this a few days ago and couldn’t put it down.” He pointed to the author. “I know we’ve never heard of this author, but I’m pretty sure it’s a pseudonym for Nick Taylo.”
She raised a brow.
“I know, but there were so many similarities. Not in plot so much but in the style.”
She grinned. “I look forward to reading this. Then we can compare notes.”
Lee sidled up closer to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. “Should Saul and I be jealous, Dad?”
Bill, Saul, and Laura snorted simultaneously. And Laura started laughing, which made Lee grin.
Bill stood up and clapped Lee on the back. “She’s all yours, son.”
When Laura stopped laughing she noticed Saul looking between her and Lee. Then he cleared his throat. “All right, Bill, we should get on the road. Them fish won’t catch themselves.”
Bill nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.” He pulled Laura in for a hug. “We’ll talk this week, okay? You look good.”
She kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Bill. I’ll call you tomorrow. Promise.”
Bill and Lee did their awkward hug maneuver, and Saul surprised Laura by giving her a bear hug. “Sorry ‘bout the intrusion, Laura. You know the Old Man,” he said in her ear.
She kissed his cheek. “Indeed I do. Thanks, Saul.”
Saul shrugged. Then he half led, half dragged Bill out of the apartment.
Laura waved after them, thanking them for dropping by. Lee followed them to the door, closing it behind them. He turned back to her. “Can you believe them?!”
Laura grinned. “Yes, I can.” She ran to him, hugging him close. “They’re sweet.”
He kissed her forehead. “I guess I should be glad you get along so well. It’s just once you two get started--”
She grabbed the back of his head, pulling his mouth down to hers, kissing him hard. “Let’s not talk about your fathers anymore, okay?”
He grinned. “Yes, Sir.”
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////
She pulled away from him and started a playful jog to their master bedroom. He shook his head. Gods, she was amazing. And she was his. At least as much as she allowed herself to be. There was no mistaking the fact that she was in charge. And he...loved it.
She was so sensitive about her hair. It wasn’t something she’d ever said, but he knew it was her favorite of her own features. And as much as he loved it, as hard as it had been to watch it fall away before he’d shaved it for her - he had fond memories of that night - the hair loss was nothing compared to how he’d have felt if he had lost her.
He was a soldier, a fighter pilot, prepared to die every time he entered his viper, prepared to send the men and women serving under him out to die. But no matter how much Laura had tried to prepare him for what she had thought was the inevitable, he hadn’t been prepared to lose her.
Losing her hair was evidence she was fighting, and he had been determined that she’d win, so he’d welcomed it - even as it had saddened them both. The hair would return; she wouldn’t have if she’d stopped treatment, which she had argued in favor of a few times - always prefacing it with stories about her mother, about how watching her mother die had been the most terrifying experience of her life and how the treatments had done nothing for her mother’s quality of life. He had been determined to prove her wrong, to show her life was worth living, and he had initiated a regimen of “loving her healthy.” And it had worked, or at least he liked to think it had - even the doctor indicated it had been her positivity and constant support more than the treatment that had led to her remission.
The hair was slowly growing back. In the meantime, his fiancee looked absolutely adorable in a scarf. It brought out her cheekbones and eyes in ways her hair hadn’t, and he loved looking at her. He shared his father’s disbelief in the gods, but when he looked at her, he could see...divinity at work.
She was calling him. “Captain Apollo, are you coming?”
He grinned, remembering their first date - when he’d told her his rank and callsign and she’d combined them, renaming him. He saluted her. “Yes, Sir.”
Then he took off, jogging after her, overtaking her as they entered their bedroom. He took her hand then, pulling her into the bathroom. She pushed him against the door, claiming his mouth. He pulled her tighter against him, moaning into her mouth. She pulled back, smiling. “You still with me, Apollo?”
He grinned. “It’s Captain Apollo to you.” He pushed forward, grabbing her by the shoulders, and moving them toward the glass door. He pulled the door open, reached in and turned the knobs, adjusting the water speed and temperature.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Her eyebrows raised. Gods, he loved that look.
He smirked. “Not at all. Just preparing.”
“Mmm. I do love how prepared you are.”
He lowered his hands to the hem of her sweatshirt, lifting it slowly. Her stomach was beginning to fill out again. He rubbed it affectionately.
“You’re probably the first boyfriend in history to want his girlfriend to gain weight.”
“I’d love you at any weight.”
She reached under his fleet issued tanks, moving her hands along his stomach and up to his chest. He’d been harder and flatter when they met. The stress of her condition rounded him around the middle more than he’d like - increased exercise would be good for them both. “Me too,” she said. She patted him. “There’s more of you to love now.”
“I’m cutting it close, though. Almost out of regulations.”
She hmmed. “We’ll just have to go to the gym more often.”
He grinned. “I didn’t think you liked it.”
“I’m beginning to see the merit.” She pinched his nipple between her thumb and forefinger.
He untied the knot in her scarf, freeing her beautiful head to his sight. Red specks marked where her hair was beginning to return. He rubbed his hands against the fuzz, knowing she liked the sensation on her scalp.
He lifted her shirt over her head and threw it on the floor. Her sports bra was tight against her skin. He went to grasp the bottom of it, but she pushed his hands away, lifting it herself. Once she was free, he took that as permission to dive in. He was always careful and loving with them, even as they were killing her. According to the pamphlet, it was important to her that he loved all of her, so he did. After the last biopsy had come back clear, he could be less gentle, and when the sensitivity had gone away, she encouraged his play. He licked and nipped all around her, marking her as his. She moaned, grabbing the back of his head and holding him there.
The glass was starting to steam up. The water was ready for them.
He lowered his hands to the top of her pants and pushed them down, with her helping. He threw off his own tanks and yanked down his pants and boxers. She bent down to remove her socks, as he pulled his off and threw them in a heap with the rest of their clothes.
Finally, he pulled her into the shower with him, pushing her against the glass as he entered from behind. Her hands moved against the glass as he pumped into her, holding her breasts. She moaned his name.
“You feel so good, Laura.”
“You too.”
It was so good to have nothing between them. That she was healthy enough for them to do this without fear made him happier than he could express.
He came sooner than he would have liked, but considering the day they’d had, he was really surprised he’d lasted that long. “I love you.”
She turned to him, claiming his mouth. Then she reached for the bar of soap, worked it into a lather, and began rubbing it against his chest. He groaned as she worked the soap against his abs - what was left of them. Then she moved down to his legs. When she nodded her satisfaction that he was clean, he turned so she could get his back.
“All right, scoot down so I can get your hair,” she said, and he complied.
Her fingers felt so good moving through his hair, scrubbing his scalp. “You could do this for a living.”
She giggled. “I’m only interested in your beautiful head, Apollo.” She gave a satisfied hum and said, “My turn.”
“With pleasure.”
///////////////////////////////////////////
Once they were clean and dry, they collapsed on their bed, pulling back the tan sheets and climbing in, resting their heads against the black pillows. He spooned behind her, holding her tight. “How do you feel?”
She hmmed. “Good. Sore, but in the best way.”
“I was thinking we could order from that Tauron place, The Bull. Dad says it’s pretty good. Not like his Tsattie but good.”
“That sounds like a plan, Captain.”
He kissed her scalp. “I’m not gonna want to go back. After my leave, I mean.”
She turned to him, pulling him tightly against her. “Do you want to do something else?”
He sighed. “I don’t know. I joined because it was what Dad expected - even if I didn’t want to admit it - and they paid for college. But...I don’t know. It’s such a part of me.”
She ran her fingers through his hair. “There’s so much to you. So much you could do.”
“My requirement’s up soon. Then I can think about what I want to do next.” He kissed her. “You’re so brave. You just...get into whatever you need. Politics, teaching. I’m..I’m not like that.”
“Yes, you are. More than you know.” She ran her hand along his chest. “Promise me, no matter what you decide, I can still call you ‘Captain Apollo’.”
“Always.”
She rested her head against his chest, and he could hear her breathing slow until she fell asleep. It had been a lot of activity for her that day. But it was good, and they would continue working out until she regained her energy - and he lost some weight. In the meantime, mid-afternoon naps were nice. He held her close and allowed his eyes to close, but he couldn’t stop the thoughts.
He didn’t tell her he had always toyed with the notion of becoming a lawyer, but he knew she would support him - no matter what. Maybe he would ask his father for his grandfather’s law books. Resolved to do that much, he fell asleep, confident in their future.
////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Bill sat behind the wheel of their pickup. The Old Girl reminded him of Galactica in a lot of ways: She was old, beginning to rust along the edges. He was starting to see cracks forming, but he loved his old truck. Their truck. And it may not have been pretty to look at, but it still ran great. Much better than those new models. He had every expectation of getting another hundred thousand klicks out of her.
There was plenty of daylight left to get some quality fishing time in. They always released what they caught anyway.
He turned down the radio, which was tuned into the fleet news, and glanced at his husband. “I did it again, didn’t I?”
Saul shrugged. “A little, yeah.” He grinned. “Laura’ll forgive you, I’m sure. She’ll get into that godsdamned book and call you, confirming or maybe refuting your claim.”
Bill refocused on the road, but he smiled anyway. “She’s great, isn’t she?”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe we should call next time.”
Saul snorted. “That’s probably a good idea.”
Bill chuckled. “I know I wouldn’t want them coming to our place uninvited.”
Saul laughed. “Absolutely not. Gods, that would be awful.”
Bill shook the nightmarish thoughts away. “You said Laura would forgive me. What about Lee?”
Saul put his hand on Bill’s thigh. “He’ll forget we were even there.”
Oh, right. His son had done well for himself. A good position within the fleet. A beautiful woman with an even more beautiful heart (even if she hid it sometimes) as his fiancee. They were so well suited for each other. So much better than Bill had been with Carolanne. He could understand how Lee would forget everything else when he looked at Laura. It was how Bill felt when he looked at Saul.
Bill put his hand on top of Saul’s. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Old Man.”
Bill focused on their surroundings. They were getting close. It was one of the last days of summer, and they were going to spend it right, fishing and drinking ambrosia.
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