BY YOUR COMMAND - Static ARCHIVE

"Well, no... Actually, I - I was trying to decide what to say to you," Starbuck replied.

Apollo's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"What to say?" he repeated, puzzled. "I don't understand. 'Welcome home', 'I missed you', anything like that would be just fine."

Starbuck looked away, shook his head.

"No," he said. "Look, this, uh, this isn't easy for me, Apollo."

Now Apollo was a little worried, rattled by the seriousness in Starbuck's tone. "Okay," he said, uncertainly.

Starbuck took a deep breath.

"Well, uh, for two weeks, I thought you were dead," he said hesitantly, his gaze drifting around the room, looking at everything but Apollo. "And I began going over in my mind all the time we'd spent together, the missions and the Triad games and just, well, talking, usually about nothing - and it made me kind of mad. All I could think was: what a waste."

Starbuck snuck a quick glance at Apollo, saw confusion and hurt registering on his friend's face.

"But then," Starbuck hurriedly continued, "three days ago you miraculously reappeared. And when I got called down to sick bay, and I saw you lying there, I got scared. I realized I'd been given something everybody always wants but nobody ever gets: a second chance, and that's just - just too much, you know? So I had to stay away and think a bit more, decide what to do."

Starbuck paused, fought the urge to fidget nervously. Here we are at the point of no return, he thought. His palms were sweating and his heart raced.

"Apollo," he said, "what I'm trying to tell you, is" - he closed his eyes, not wanting to look - "that I'm in love with you, and I think I have been for a long time. I want to be more to you than just a friend, but if you can't do that, I'll understand. I just had to tell you..."

He trailed off, stared down at the floor now. A seemingly endless silence crawled past, and he wished for something - an alert, a hull breach - anything that would take him away from this growing awkwardness. But then, Apollo answered him, by stepping forward and wrapping his arms tightly around Starbuck.

"Well," Apollo said softly in his ear, "you just gave me the scare of my life. I thought you were going to tell me you didn't want to be my friend anymore."

"I don't - I mean, not only, anyway," Starbuck replied, eyes closed, his body folded deliciously into Apollo's.

Apollo drew back to look at him, his gaze melting Starbuck as it always had. But Starbuck remained unsure. After all, Apollo was an affectionate guy, had hugged him many times before... Apollo gave him a half smile, as if he could read Starbuck's thoughts, and leaned in and kissed him softly. Starbuck thought his heart would burst. He wanted to laugh, cry, shout, jump - but stayed very still, captured forever by this first kiss, the one he would always remember.

"So," Apollo said when they drew apart, "all those yahrens were a big waste of time, were they?"

"Well..." Starbuck replied, a mischievous grin creeping across his face, "at least we've seen each other naked, so there'll be no nasty surprises."

Apollo laughed. "You sure know how to wreck a moment," he said. "But I guess I shouldn't expect you to be serious for too long."

"If you kiss me again, I'll stop talking, I promise."

Apollo complied, more passionately this time. He pulled Starbuck closer to him so that their bodies were fused together, and their lips parted, tongues exploring, tasting each other -

"Boomer to Lieutenant Starbuck!"

Reluctantly, they broke apart again, Starbuck emitting a frustrated, exasperated sigh.

"Starbuck here," he replied to the page through his combadge.

"Where the hell are you? I'm waitin' down here in the launch bay. We're late for patrol!"

"I'll be right there."

"If I get written up for this, Bucko, I'll -"

"I said: I'll be right there! Starbuck out!"

He looked at Apollo, shrugged helplessly.

"So," Apollo said, slightly annoyed, "you come in here, say all these things to me, and now you have to leave?"

"Uh," Starbuck said, "I, uh, I kind of wanted a way out, in case things didn't go well."

Apollo shook his head. "You're unbelievable, you know that?"

"It's only half a duty shift," Starbuck said. "Just four centars, some time I owed Jolly. I'm not doing anything after that, and since you're not back on duty yet..."

He slipped his arms around Apollo.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm not very good at this kind of stuff."

"You're forgiven," Apollo said. "This time."

Their lips met again in a brief, hungry kiss, filled with promises of what was to come.

Then Starbuck left, his world suddenly full of happiness. He was still a bit scared, but so far he'd done the right thing. Funny, he reflected, how just a few words, and the courage to speak them, could make such a difference.

THE END