Daily Pilots Post -- A Simple Declaration
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“Ok, I give,” she said at last, still watching him.
He frowned. “I’m sorry?”
“I give up,” she elaborated. “I don’t get it. So just tell me. What the hell did you mean when you said,” she glanced around as if afraid someone might overhear, “what you said. Before.”
His face split into a grin. If he’d imagined this scene a month ago he would have cringed with anticipatory mortification, but in actuality he felt better than he had in ages. He thought he should try the direct approach more often. “I thought it was pretty self-explanatory, Kara, but if you like I could try to find some smaller words –”
She slapped his arm. “I know what you said, you moron. I want to know what you meant by it.”
He gave her a puzzled look. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
A peculiar look broke across her face. “So it was like a joke.”
“No.” He dropped his head back against the tree trunk. “Of course I meant it.”
“But why did you say it?” she demanded.
He raised his head to look at her, but her face revealed only suspicious incomprehension. “Well, to communicate, I guess. Which sometimes we don’t do very well, like right now, for example. Things with us can be… murky. So I just wanted to be sure that you knew. In case there was any confusion.”
“Oh.” She lapsed into silence for long enough for him to finish the ration bar. Darkness had fallen completely by the time she spoke again. “So… now what?”
“What happens now? I don’t know. What do you want to happen now, Kara?”
She drew back against the tree. “I don’t know,” she said, looking more than usually like a half-wild animal crouched at the edge of a forest, weighing instinctive fear against the scent of a cook-fire.
“Bizarre as this is to say, I think you are actually worse at this than the robot over there,” he told her, gesturing toward the shelter off to his right where Helo and Sharon were talking softly. “But if you don’t know, then I guess nothing happens. We just go on being friends. Easy, right?”
“So I don’t have to say it too?” she asked grudgingly.
He laughed. “Since when does Kara Thrace have to do anything?”
“Ok,” she said. She stared at him for another few seconds, then got out her gun and a cloth and set to work cleaning it. He followed suit, happy enough for the moment just to sit with her and not argue.
“I might,” she said after a minute of companionable silence, still hunched over her weapon. “I mean, if I had to say, one way or the other, then maybe I do. Too.”
“Ok,” he said, and bumped her leg gently with his knee.
She nudged him back, then resumed her task, her leg still resting against his.
He frowned. “I’m sorry?”
“I give up,” she elaborated. “I don’t get it. So just tell me. What the hell did you mean when you said,” she glanced around as if afraid someone might overhear, “what you said. Before.”
His face split into a grin. If he’d imagined this scene a month ago he would have cringed with anticipatory mortification, but in actuality he felt better than he had in ages. He thought he should try the direct approach more often. “I thought it was pretty self-explanatory, Kara, but if you like I could try to find some smaller words –”
She slapped his arm. “I know what you said, you moron. I want to know what you meant by it.”
He gave her a puzzled look. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
A peculiar look broke across her face. “So it was like a joke.”
“No.” He dropped his head back against the tree trunk. “Of course I meant it.”
“But why did you say it?” she demanded.
He raised his head to look at her, but her face revealed only suspicious incomprehension. “Well, to communicate, I guess. Which sometimes we don’t do very well, like right now, for example. Things with us can be… murky. So I just wanted to be sure that you knew. In case there was any confusion.”
“Oh.” She lapsed into silence for long enough for him to finish the ration bar. Darkness had fallen completely by the time she spoke again. “So… now what?”
“What happens now? I don’t know. What do you want to happen now, Kara?”
She drew back against the tree. “I don’t know,” she said, looking more than usually like a half-wild animal crouched at the edge of a forest, weighing instinctive fear against the scent of a cook-fire.
“Bizarre as this is to say, I think you are actually worse at this than the robot over there,” he told her, gesturing toward the shelter off to his right where Helo and Sharon were talking softly. “But if you don’t know, then I guess nothing happens. We just go on being friends. Easy, right?”
“So I don’t have to say it too?” she asked grudgingly.
He laughed. “Since when does Kara Thrace have to do anything?”
“Ok,” she said. She stared at him for another few seconds, then got out her gun and a cloth and set to work cleaning it. He followed suit, happy enough for the moment just to sit with her and not argue.
“I might,” she said after a minute of companionable silence, still hunched over her weapon. “I mean, if I had to say, one way or the other, then maybe I do. Too.”
“Ok,” he said, and bumped her leg gently with his knee.
She nudged him back, then resumed her task, her leg still resting against his.
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This is maybe my favorite "declaration of love" moments in fic between Kara and Lee by one of my favorite fic authors. It's not hearts and flowers, just pure them.
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Date: 2010-03-04 08:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-04 09:21 am (UTC)The pics and the fic. It's just pilots being pilots.
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Date: 2010-03-04 10:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-04 10:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-04 03:32 pm (UTC)Ditto. Well said, Cosette.
Thanks for posting this, Tara, and with illustrations! Daphnaea does have a wonderful way with pilots.
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Date: 2010-03-04 03:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-04 04:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-04 12:54 pm (UTC)It's great to have pics and story. Thanks, Tara!
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Date: 2010-03-04 04:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-04 04:34 pm (UTC)Oh, pilots. *sigh*
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Date: 2010-03-04 05:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-04 05:25 pm (UTC)I love Detour it's one of the first fics I think I ever read in this fandom! THE BANTER MAKES MY HEART LEAP WITH JOY! Ugh and the kiss is so yum.
And the end:
“I told you the compass thing wasn’t my fault.”
Her tone made him grin despite himself. Typical Kara. “Well, I still have a whole list of things that are,” he assured her, and she laughed, and for the moment, it was enough.
Brynn McK is the queen of pre-mini fics. Nobody does it better.
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Date: 2010-03-04 08:48 pm (UTC)She and Claira are the reasons I love pre-mini now as much as I do, I think. They established the fanon, pretty much.
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Date: 2010-03-04 09:04 pm (UTC)Really there were so many great pre-mini backstories, Claira and Pen's and widget's and Leda's and so many more...
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Date: 2010-03-04 09:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-04 09:43 pm (UTC)Yup, I very intentionally included shoutouts to Claira because she prompted me for the first chapter of Academy Pilots (even though I didn't know then it was going to turn into a whole series). But I often find myself sorta referencing things in other fics too.
I also thought it was funny that when I read Detour a little while ago? There was a lot in it that reminded me of this scene I posted of Parapraxis.
It's definitely fun how fanon is created and it all interweaves together.
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Date: 2010-03-04 07:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-04 10:07 pm (UTC)I could probably dig through archives a find a bunch myself, but I thank you for enabling my laziness. :-D
I have read Parapraxis, and it really is fabulous. Nice choice.
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Date: 2010-03-05 02:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-05 03:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-05 04:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-05 06:21 am (UTC)