Starbuck pulled Cass in so she couldn't see his face. Closing his eyes briefly, he braced himself. Then he opened his eyes, pasted a smile on his face, and leaned back far enough to begin a "passionate" kiss, visualizing the scent and feel of the person he wanted to be kissing. He couldn't pretend. There were too many differences. Cass's faint flowery smell, her velvety lips and soft skin didn't come close to what he really wanted.
"Starbuck!"
Sheba's voice interrupted the kiss. Starbuck sighed in relief, then guiltily hoped Cass interpreted it as a sigh of frustration.
"Good luck, hotshot!"
With a practiced, absent-minded peck in the general direction of her face, Starbuck disentangled himself from Cass. She deserved better.
Departure from any resemblance to canon:
Starbuck strode into the Cylon ship, sighing. He sat down heavily in the copilot's seat. "When are we going to tell them, Apollo?" he asked.
"Maybe we won't need to."
"And Cass thinks *I* have a death wish?" Starbuck snorted.
Apollo turned to his wing mate - his soul mate. "You know we can't. It just isn't accepted. My father ..."
"Would undoubtedly have me castrated - live on the IFB - for corrupting you. Then he'd put you into intensive therapy until you agreed to seal with Sheba. I know."
There was silence for long centons as the two men pretended to study the controls they already had memorized. "No, the truth is he'd probably accept it. The truth is I'm the coward. I'm afraid of what everyone else will think - and say."
"Apollo, it's not just me I'm thinking of. I've hung on for ten yahrens, creating a lie and then living it. If that's the only way I can have you, I'll do it, you know that," Starbuck said gently. "But it's not fair to Cass and Sheba. I'll follow your lead, you know I will - you're my Captain. But think about it. Please."
Apollo thought about the difference between Sheba's desperate kisses and Starbuck's simple hand on his shoulder. He'd rather have that hand on his shoulder than anything else he could think of. "You're right. We have to tell them," he agreed. "We have to tell Father first, then Sheba and Cass. When we get back. We'll do it during our debrief with him."
"Oh, that'll be good. 'Commander, there is one more thing Starbuck and I have to tell you.' 'What is that, son?' 'Commander, Father, while we were destroying the basestar, we decided we were in love.' 'How wonderful for you both. Starbuck, welcome to the family; we'll throw Sheba out and make room for you. I know Athena will be so pleased.' Yeah, right."
Apollo couldn't help laughing at Starbuck's dead-on imitation of his father and himself in awkward conversation. "All right, all right. I didn't say it would be easy. But right now, get over here. I need to get the taste of Sheba out of my mouth."
"By your command," Starbuck murmured, sliding onto Apollo's lap and lowering his head to the rough, unscented lips. As Apollo's arms came around him, he sighed in deep contentment, opening his lips and his heart to his lover.
End