On Lover's Day

On Lover's Day - Kerensa

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Note: This is a sequel to To Catch A Falling Starbuck and Father’s Day.

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Apollo heard the chime and went over to answer the door. He winced at the thunderous look on his good friend Boomer's face.

"I know," Apollo said apologetically as he waved the other man in. "Mushie?" He proffered the plate that was covered with the much loved and therefore expensive treats.

Boomer snorted in disbelief. "That won't even begin to cover it." He reached out and grabbed a couple anyway.

"I'll bet." Apollo waited until Boomer had dropped onto the couch before he offered him a plasticup of ambrosia. He blinked in surprise when his dark friend downed the drink in one long swallow. "Uh, here." He gave Boomer his plasticup and poured himself another one. "It was that bad?"

Boomer gave him an incredulous look. "What do you think?" Apollo shuddered as his imagination took over.

"Tell me about it." Apollo decided that since he had caused this upset to his friend, he should have to hear about it and suffer to, at least second handedly.

Apollo frowned. "Didn't you eat your evening meal?" That was supposed to be Boomer's one consolation in all this mess.

"You want me to what?!" Boomer's voice, well, boomed out of the Officer's Quarters. Several of the pilots looked up from what they were doing and stared at the normally unflappable Boomer. Not this time though. No, now Boomer was flapping for all he was worth.

Apollo glared at a couple of the warriors who were standing close by. They quickly went back to dressing or playing pyramid on their bunks, whatever, just so long as they looked busy and not like they were eavesdropping. Which they were.

"I just need you to distract her for the night. There's something special that I want to do."

Boomer looked at Apollo's pleading green eyes and groaned. "Felgercarb! Don't look at me that way." Apollo smiled ruefully and Boomer slumped as he caved in. "It's for Starbuck, isn't it?"

Boomer just sighed and nodded, as he watched the dark haired warrior walk away. He didn't know why he'd even bothered to protest. It was a forgone conclusion that he would cave in and help. Boomer knew that he was a sucker to either one of his best friends. Apollo didn't have the baby daggit eyes look down, like Starbuck did, but he could wheedle just as well, in his own way.

"Hey," Jolly looked around to make sure Apollo was gone before he walked over. "What's up?"

Boomer looked up at his much bigger friend and sighed. "Apollo asked me to help with a project for Starbuck."

Jolly looked upset. "Why didn't he ask one of us, I'd be glad to help Starbuck."

Ever since they'd almost lost Starbuck, because of the Blue Juice poisoning, Starbuck had as much help as one man could stand. People kept an eye on him, so that he didn't get too tired, that could cause another relapse. Nobody wanted that, because Starbuck had made enough improvements that it was a possibility, possibility mind you, that he might be able to fly a viper again. Not as a warrior, but in his capacity as an instructor.

Nodding his head, Boomer turned to Jolly with a smile. The predatory grin actually made Jolly take a step back. "Sure, buddy. You can help all you want to. In fact, you can take over this little project for me...I won't complain."

"What is it?" Jolly asked, wondering what he'd gotten himself in to. He glanced around uneasily and wondered why they had thought coming here after patrol was a good idea.

"Apollo's asked me to take Sheba out on a date." Boomer smiled with false happiness.

Jolly blanched, looked towards the door where Apollo had just left, and the back to Boomer again. "Sagan," he breathed out softly. Jolly patted Boomer on the shoulder, very carefully, like he was going to fall apart. "Good luck."

Boomer sat down in the booth, as far from Sheba as he could get, and prayed to the Lords of Kobol for an alert. The Lords must have been busy that secton, because everything remained calm. Or maybe they just wanted a laugh.

"May I take your order?" The waitperson looked over at Sheba and hid his dismay behind a carefully controlled mask of imperviousness.

"I want an ambrosia," Sheba slurred. It was obvious that she had already had a drink or two...or eight. "And make it th' good stuff, not th' felgercarb you give to th' techies."

Two tables away, a group of engineers turned to glare Sheba. Boomer grimaced and gave them an apologetic wave. One of the women nodded back at him and Boomer was relieved to see that they weren't upset with him.

"Of course...madam." The waitperson's smile was a little strained. "And you, sir?"

"Uh," he looked over at his dining companion. Sheba was looking around the room, checking out and dismissing the lesser people there and waving knowingly at the better classes. "Ambrosia too, please." Boomer figured he was going to need it before the evening was through.

Boomer jumped, startled when her alcohol soaked breath wafted across his face. The warrior's eyes watered at the fumes and he leaned back to escape. 'When the frack did she get that close?' he wondered as Sheba's bare leg brushed against his. The bright red, shimmering and very short dress was more suited to a raucous evening on the Rising Star than an elegant dining room on the Sagittarian.

'Holy Kobol, she doesn't expect dancing or something like that, does she?' Boomer wasn't sure he could take that long of a date. He surreptitiously glanced at his chronometer. 'Thirty centons. It's only been thirty centons.'

"Yeah." She took another drink. "You know, for when, after you are, uhm..." She frowned and thought. "When you aren't a warrior anymore."

"I'm not sure," Boomer said quietly, hoping against hope that she would lower her voice too. The group of engineers had left, but that table had quickly filled. The Omega Room on the Sagittarian was very popular. It was supposed to be the last place you would ever need to go to dine, hence the name, omega, which meant last in some ancient language or another.

"Oh, you need to make plans." Sheba looked so sincere, like she genuinely cared for his welfare and patted clumsily at his arm. She missed and instead consoled the edge of the table. "You don't want to be stuck as a viper pilot for the rest of your life."

"If I am lucky enough to live that long, I would hope to be promoted; possibly to the bridge or commanding the flight deck."

Naturally, Boomer had already planned his future. He knew that in 18 sectars he could take the test for Captain. He hadn't decided if he would take it then, or what would happen if he passed, but it just depended where the fleet was at that time. He could still be a Captain and a viper pilot as well.

"Aim for the bridge, sweetie, that's where all the action is." Sheba took another drink.

'Sweetie?' Boomer thought in disgust. He looked at his chronometer and sighed. 'Only 36 centons now.'

"Do you like what you see?" She licked her lips and ran a hand up his thigh. "On your plate that is," she said with a mock innocent, lupinely smile. Boomer felt like a small, furry animal waiting to be devoured.

"Yes, it's fine." He tried to move away, but there simply wasn't any more room on the booth; one more slide and he'd be sitting on the floor.

"Uhmmmm." She ran a long fingernail down the side of his neck. "I do too and not just on my plate."

Boomer swallowed hard and wondered where she got the long nails. She sure as frack didn't have them on patrol today. The floor was looking better and better all the time.

The wandering hand slid up and gave his genitals a brief squeeze. Boomer jumped and tried to move her hand without being too obvious. He shifted his legs, crossing them, but the young woman kept her hand in place and made the groping even more obvious.

Sheba giggled in a high pitched and nail biting way. "My dinner is nice and big." She giggled again. "I have to go to the turboflush, I'll be right back."

Boomer watched her stagger away and gave a brief thought to running out the door. His better nature kicked in though and he stayed seated. He glanced over and saw something that made him wish he left when he had the chance.

"Where in frack's name do you get off asking Sheba out?" Bojay's voice echoed around the room and stopped all conversation cold. People were turning in their seats, trying to see who was making the disturbance. Several people with younger people at their tables glared at the warrior who was using bad language in a family restaurant.

Bojay narrowed his eyes at the comment and walked over to lean down in Boomer's face. "She's my girl."

Boomer closed his eyes in true pain. Bojay's breath was almost as bad as Sheba's. He had apparently been having his own libations as well. 'Great, another drunk,' Boomer thought with a moan. 'At least he's lowered his voice though.'

"Look, Bojay..." Boomer took a steadying drink. "I just asked her out to dinner. If you think Sheba is yours then why don't you take that up with her."

The man from Silver Spar Squadron nodded his head and leaned an elbow against the dining table. The tabs on his uniform caught on the edge of the lacy tablecloth when he started to stand up. The cloth, along with glasses, dishes of partially eaten food and silverware started to move with him.

Boomer looked up in relief and saw that their waiter had hurried over and was busily extracting Bojay before he could make a mess. Bojay tried to help...and he tried to grope the waiter as he helped. When Bojay was finally freed the young waiter was flustered and upset. The poor young man wasn't sure if he'd been molested or not. Boomer, and most every other diner, could have told him for certain, but they were all too stunned by the sheer audacity of the warrior to say anything.

"Could we have three cups of café, please." Boomer didn't really want the café, but he figured it might sober up his drunken companions. Besides which, it would give the embarrassed waiter a chance to escape.

"Certainly, sir." He hurried off and Boomer watched the younger man's retreat with envy.

Boomer glanced at the still standing Bojay warily. He didn't know that the other warrior liked men and given the little demonstration he had just seen, Boomer thought it was a safe bet that Bojay liked men...a lot!

"Bajoy, what are you doin' here?" Sheba slurred. Her mispronunciation of her wingmate’s name made Boomer wonder if they were serving liquor in the turboflush.

The two warriors were still standing up, making certain that all the attention in the room was on them. Boomer realized things were going to get worse, who knew that was possible, and stood up himself. The plan was to get them all out of the crowded room before they made even more of a spectacle of themselves. He caught the eye of the waiter, who was standing, open mouthed, at the kitchen door. Boomer shook his head to indicate that they didn't need the café after all. The warrior hurried and pressed his thumb to the keypad hidden unobtrusively under the edge of one napkin. With the one touch their bill was paid, along with a hefty tip for the suffering server.

Meanwhile, the two drunks were busily arguing. Bojay was making wilder and wilder claims on Sheba, who was rubbing up against Boomer's back.

Boomer looked up in horror at Sheba's suggestion. Sleep with both of them. Sagan, he didn't want to touch either one of them, let alone have sex with...

The dark warrior felt himself pale at the nauseating images that were flooding his mind. It wasn't that Sheba wasn't pretty, because she was, and it wasn't that Bojay wasn't handsome, because again, he was. No, it was their personalities. Pretty and handsome only go so far and then the real felgercarb inside started to leak out.

He closed his eyes in humiliation when his stunned brain remembered where they were. Boomer looked over and saw a tiny little girl peaking over the back of the next table. 'Lords, I hope she didn't understand what Sheba said,' he thought in horror.

With a martyred sigh, Boomer grabbed hold of both Sheba and Bojay and started dragging them out the door. Sheba giggled and Boomer had the sudden desire to punch her out.

"Does this mean you like my idea?" Sheba asked with a sultry smile and twitch of her mouth. To Boomer it looked like she had something stuck in her teeth.

Apollo's teeth clacked together as he snapped his mouth shut. He didn't even ask, but poured more ambrosia anyway.

"I dumped Sheba off at her room and shoved Bojay into the BOQ's." Boomer said with a sigh.

"Well, at least that was..." Apollo stopped at the pained look Boomer gave him. "That wasn't all, was it?"

Boomer snorted. "Are you kidding?" He downed the rest of his drink and shook his head at Apollo's offer of more. He didn't want to get drunk. "I got to my quarters..."

Boomer had recently lucked out. There were Officer's quarters beyond that of the barracks and not just for the married personnel. A room had become vacant about two sectars earlier. He and Jolly now had their own quarters, with a private bedroom for each of them. That made life a lot easier and quieter.

Now, Boomer wasn't so certain that it was a blessing. He had made the mistake of opening the door when it chimed a few centons earlier, mistakenly thinking that Jolly had pushed in the wrong code. That happened sometimes. The big man was an excellent warrior, but he had no head for numbers and codes. It had taken him a long time to learn the combination of his locker at the Triad court.

But, instead of a forgetful Jolly, Boomer got a drunken and horny Sheba instead.

"I said NO!" Boomer ducked behind the couch. Sheba wove around it and the chair on the other side with a dexterity she hadn't shown all night. "Go away, Sheba. The date is over and I am not going to sleep with you and Bojay."

"Oh, Lords." Boomer rolled his eyes. There was another chime at the door. This had to be Jolly. No such, luck.

"Bojay! Come join the fun." Sheba gestured with one hand. Unfortunately, for her, it was the hand she was using to prop herself up with and she fell on one shimmery red butt.

Normally a gentleman, Boomer just watched her fall. Bojay cried out and stumbled over a chair and down to his knees beside his newly declared love. "Sheba! Are you alright?!"

'Drink apparently makes Bojay overly dramatic,' Boomer decided. 'Either that or he thinks she's got something vital in her butt.'

"I'm okay." Sheba let her fellow warrior pull her to her feet. She leaned against his side and rubbed her face against his neck. Bojay grinned stupidly at the attention.

"Yes, you are both fine. So, why don't you leave?" The two looked at him uncomprehendingly. "Sheba's certainly a beautiful woman. Isn't she, Bojay?"

Boomer wondered how she would take that dubious compliment, but Sheba seemed to be thrilled by it. Shaking his head, Boomer turned to the dark haired woman. "Bojay is a handsome man, don't you think?"

Sheba eyed the other warrior critically. Finally, she nodded. "Yes, he's very fit."

Again, a strange compliment. But, what the frack, at least they weren't after him. And since he was in his private quarters...alone...with two drunks...Boomer wasn't going to say anything. Except...

"You two would certainly make an attractive couple." Bojay nodded. "And both of you are well placed socially." Sheba nodded. "And just think of the attractive children you would have."

That seemed to cinch the deal. The two Colonial Warriors seemed to find this a match made in Kobol.

"Why don't you do us all a favor and marr...uh, get together." He'd be fracked before he was the one to get them engaged. "I'm just not worthy of your attention." Sheba nodded in agreement and Boomer mentally rolled his eyes at her snobbery.

The warrior didn't need to be asked twice. He did need help opening the door, but Boomer was happy to oblige.

Boomer sat down on the couch with a thump and leaned his head back. He felt something unusual on his face and turned his head. With a moan he recognized Sheba's multihued scarf. He grabbed it up and raced out the door and down the corridor. He caught up with the weaving couple, just as they entered a lift.

"Here." He tossed the scarf in, just as the doors closed, startling the inebriated pair. "For Sagan's sake, don't forget this."

He hurried back to his room, afraid that they would follow him, now that he had caught their attention again. But there had been no way he was going to leave the scarf where it was. That would only have encouraged Sheba to make a return trip when she was sober.

The warrior gasped and jumped back a good foot, until he thumped against the closed, and thankfully now locked, doors. It was Jolly, at last. Boomer started to laugh.

"Holy crap, Boomer. I had no idea it would be that bad." Apollo patted his friend on the back.

Apollo laughed at what he was fairly certain was a joke. Considering Boomer's date from Tartarus though, he wasn't for sure.

"Was it at least worth it?" Boomer gave Apollo a searching look. The Captain was certain this time that if the answer was anything other than yes Boomer was going to punch him out.

"So, tell me about it. I need something good to get rid of the memory of this night."

Starbuck heard someone call his name and looked to see who was talking. He waved at friends he saw here and there, dotted around the room. The lieutenant turned back to his lover and smiled.

Apollo hadn’t taken his eyes off of him all night and Starbuck wondered what was going on. The Captain was always intense, but this was getting kind of worrisome.

You had to be quiet at the Predicts Club (1) because you never knew when the talking was going to drop off suddenly. That happened every once in a while, usually just in time for somebody to say something embarrassing.

“Wrong? No, Star, everything’s fine.” Apollo swallowed hard and glanced around nervously, which kind of ruined the reassuring.

“Oh-kay,” Starbuck drawled. He decided to let it go and figured that Apollo would let him know what was going on eventually. “Evening meal was really good. I didn’t know there were any more spuds on the fleet.”

Apollo grinned at his lover. “Wellllll, they are hard to find, but I…arranged for you to have some, because I know how much you love them.”

Starbuck felt a warm feeling well up in his chest. No one had ever cared that much for him before. Except for his two, almost fathers, and they didn’t get the chance.

“I’m glad…I…” Apollo glanced around the room nervously. “Come with me, please.” He grabbed hold of Starbuck’s hand and pulled the unresisting Lieutenant into a private room.

After a quick glance around to make sure that they were alone, Apollo sat Starbuck down in one of the empty chairs. Starbuck’s mouth went completely dry. If his had been a few yahrens ago, he would have been certain that Apollo was breaking up with him. Now, of course, he didn’t worry about such things…he was just really nervous, that was all.

“Starbuck, I…” Apollo began to pace agitatedly. “I, well, I don’t know how to do this. And I don’t want to mess it up.” Apollo stopped abruptly and dropped to his knees in front of a decidedly frightened Starbuck.

“Apollo, just say…whatever it is you need to say.” The blond man’s old insecurities were wreaking havoc with his mind.

Starbuck blinked, looked closer at Apollo, and blinked again. Now, it was Apollo’s turn to be scared.

Apollo blew out a nervous laugh. He took another fortifying breath and tried to calm himself down. “I said that I love you and will you marry me?”

Starbuck’s blue eyes grew bigger and bigger as he realized what Apollo was saying. Apollo was worried. Not only had Starbuck not answered him, but it didn’t look like the blond man was breathing either.

Starbuck smiled and grabbed hold of Apollo’s arms. His eyes were filling up with tears as he finally gave his answer; the only answer that he would ever have dreamed of giving.

Apollo pulled his lover into a kiss and dove in with all he was worth. Starbuck, who’s mind was still reeling, was almost as enthusiastic.

As the two were kissing their lips off, a loud cheer erupted outside the room. The noise was muffled, but it caught the two men’s scattered attention. They looked over and sure enough, the privacy curtains over the window were halfway open. The room had not been reserved, so it wasn’t closed off, like it would normally have been.

The cheering, and now clapping and whistling, was from some of their friends and fellow warriors. Apollo’s proposal and Starbuck’s acceptance had been witnessed by a lot of people.

Starbuck laughed and laid his head on Apollo’s shoulder. Far from being upset that their special moment had been witnessed, the blond warrior was thrilled to have that much acceptance.

Apollo held his lover, no, his fiancé, close and blushed at the unexpectedly publicness that their moment had become. He had planned on the proposal to be theirs and theirs alone, but Starbuck didn’t seem upset and Apollo was actually glad that they all could see how much he loved the other man. Apollo had hidden his feelings for too long and wanted to show just how much he loved Starbuck.

“Darn,” Boomer said with a slur. The ambrosia was getting to him a little. He had given up on the not drinking thing a little too late. “I was the only one who wasn’t there.”

Apollo laughed. “Not quite. Father wasn’t there. Neither was Athena, Boxey, Jolly, Tigh…”

“Okay, okay. I get the point.” Boomer grinned. “Congratulations, old buddy. I knew Starbuck would say yes.”

“Thanks.” Apollo grinned ruefully at his friend. “I’m sorry you had to suffer so that I could propose in peace.”

Boomer waved a negligent hand and almost hit Apollo in the nose. “It’s okay. I was glad to help you both out. After all it was only 3 centars and 14 and a half centons of my life. No big deal.”

Apollo’s eyebrows shot up when Boomer gave the exact length of the date. “Uh, yeah.”

“So, where is Bucko anyway?” Boomer looked under the café table and Apollo realized that maybe the drink had gotten to his friend a little more than he had thought.

“He’s lying down. I told him that you were coming over and I needed to talk to you for a while.”

“Yeah.” Apollo looked at the bedroom door. “I think the excitement wore him out. Either that or he’s giving us some privacy.”

Boomer nodded and nodded and nodded. He stopped with a snort when the nodding almost toppled him over. “I better get back to my room.” He managed to stand without too much swaying and started for the door.

“Uh, hang on a centon, Boomer.” Apollo discretely walked over to the wall comm unit and talked to Jolly. Boomer was distracted by some of Boxey’s more colorful artwork.

Apollo kept Boomer from leaving, by listening to more horror stories about the dark man’s date, until Jolly arrived. The large man seemed amused by the normally stoic Boomer’s drunken state.

After the pair had left, Apollo lowered all of the lights, save the one they always kept on in the kitchen, because of Starbuck’s fear of the dark. Tiptoeing softly, Apollo looked in on Boxey. The young boy was sleeping soundly. Muffit raised his head and, after determining that Apollo was no threat to the little boy, lowered his head and went back into sleep mode.

Apollo slipped through the quiet and mostly dark rooms, until he got to their bedroom. Starbuck was curled up on the bed, half under the covers and half out. Apollo was loathe to disturb him, because he made such a sweet picture. On the other hand, he wanted to curl up with his new fiancé too.

Starbuck took the decision out of his hand when he opened one, not quite so sleepy, eye and gestured to his Apollo. “Come here, lover.” Starbuck held open his arms and Apollo wasted no time sliding in.

The two men kissed and snuggled together. They made plans for the future; one that they now knew would be for the rest of their lives. Starbuck and Apollo fell asleep, wrapped around one another, and dreamt sweet dreams all night long.

(1)Thank you to Tony Lawrence who let me borrow his club for my story. The Predicts Club can be found in his Red Tail Comet series.