Work Text:
EMAIL: imnebulous1@yahoo.com
SPOILERS: None that I know of.
DATE: 02-21-06
*********************
Reverse Psychology
*********************
"Just leave me -alone- Lee!"
Kara Thrace reached into the bottom of her locker to retrieve her means of escape from the current uncomfortable situation; her running shoes...because she really DID just want to be left alone and Heaven help her, he wanted her to talk about it!
"C'mon `Buck...I'm not going away until you tell me what's wrong...!"
His cheerful grin was the antithesis of helpful right now; in fact, it made her feel nearly homicidal.
"NOTHING is wrong, EXCEPT that you won't go -away- you idiot!" When she whirled to stomp back to her rack he was directly in her path.
"I know you better than -that- by now...spill it, Starbuck."
He might still be using the `annoying older brother' voice on her, but his eyes were serious and that was BAD! He folded his arms across his chest and blocked her way purposely now. Not bothering to wrestle him aside, which was what he wanted she knew; instead, she plopped down on his bunk which was right across from hers to put her shoes on.
"I don't WANT - to - talk!" she insisted, yanking one sneaker on and lacing it briskly.
He crouched in front of her, "Yes - you do!" he contradicted her smugly. "You want to yell and hit stuff right now; you just don't want to admit it."
"As if YOU would know anyway!" She snorted, "Mr. Oblivious...I swear!"
"Hey, I think I can usually decode what you're -really- saying on most things..." he defended himself, "like just now..."
She finished tying the other shoe and stopped to stare incredulously into his face at eye-level, "You were WRONG! I don't want to yell, I'm -starting- to want to HIT something," she narrowed her eyes at him meaningfully, "and I really DO want you to GO AWAY!"
He shook his head, looking superior; he was good at it too. "Uh-huh - Please make me talk...;" he prodded her, "that's what you just said."
She smiled sweetly, put her hand gently on his forehead and acted like she was checking for a high fever, "You -shouldn't- be delusional, no temp;" and she abruptly shoved his head back hard enough to land him sprawling on his ass. "You must just be an asshole."
Taking advantage of the opening, she stepped over him calmly and prepared to walk away...until he reached over and used her leg to pull himself up to a crouch and then stood. She -had- to brace herself against the bunk or fall over herself. "Jerk!"
"I'm -not- delusional; you just tell the truth in opposites..." he answered reasonably, looking down at her as he leaned against the bunk, having gotten in front of her again.
She froze, with her expression icing over, "Are you calling me a liar?" she asked quietly.
"No..." he claimed calmly, "I didn't say that. What I -meant - was that you try to hide the truth by saying the opposite - it's different; like the truth reflected backwards in a mirror, but it's still the truth if you know how to look at it right."
"You're SO full of crap, Lee!" she snapped, putting up her hand to push him aside so she could pass.
To her surprise, he resisted; leaving her with one hand pressed on his chest as he stood there, not moving out of the way. Noting her discomfort as she dropped her hand; one corner of that sensual mouth of his tilted in a rakish smirk.
"You're -uncomfortably- right, Lee..." he translated back to her.
Obviously he meant to stand in her way, but she STILL didn't have to talk if she didn't want to. Rolling her eyes at his obnoxious expression, she contradicted him, "You don't know a damn thing, Lee!"
He leaned forward, looking her directly in the eyes, "I know you TOO well."
Shaking her head, she turned away from him...skirting around the bench running down the middle of the room and heading for her bunk. He calmly stepped -over- the bench and was in her way again!
She glared up at him with increasing irritation, "You are NOT making me feel better with this..." she warned.
"How can I make you feel better, Kara?" he asked, taking one of her hands in both of his and massaging it while maintaining the most sincerely helpful look she had ever seen on his face. He was definitely frakking with her. *Bastard!*
"You're wrong," she noted pointedly, "I didn't want - didn't think that."
He noted the slip in her denial and his raised eyebrow begged to differ. "Ah...but you've just admitted that I -was- on the right track before, by correcting me when you -thought- I read you wrong ... "
"I DIDN'T ADMIT ANY SUCH THING!" Okay, so -now- she was yelling.
He shrugged with infuriating nonchalance, keeping -his- voice level, "I didn't read you wrong by the way...-I- was just saying that I was willing to distract you from whatever was bothering you, not suggesting that you were thinking anything about that...were you?"
She felt her cheeks blushing furiously and wanted to die of humiliation, or maybe kill him..."I frakking HATE you sometimes, Adama..." she growled, trying to side-step him again and he just casually happened to lean in her way some more - WHY the Hell was he so -bent- upon intruding in her personal space right now?
"Sometimes you really -need- me, Thrace..." he mock-whispered in her ear as she tried again to sidle past him without looking like she was running. She hoped he missed that little shiver...
"Oh, and who was thinking THAT?" she asked sarcastically.
He looked extremely interested, "You mean you don't KNOW for sure?"
"I`ve just decided as of right this very minute, if there was ever really any doubt, that I DO officially hate you." she informed him archly.
He took a step forward, and another one as she took a step back up against the bunk.
"That's too bad," he said to her in a smoky, bedroom voice if she'd ever heard one; "because I like -you- very much..."
A thrill of dark anticipation charged her entire body so that she could literally -feel- the magnetism emanating from his.
"Stop that you ass..." she muttered, trying to sound resentful and coming off alluringly pouty instead.
"Kiss me you fool!" he mimicked back melodramatically. They laughed together at that.
"You WISH!" she taunted in return.
"I wish." Now what the Hell was that? It sounded more like a flat statement than a question; more mind games? He could mean either one of them...
She challenged him, "Me or you?"
"I think -you- know," he smiled tolerantly.
"I'm -afraid- I don't!" she insisted irritably, getting in HIS space this time.
*He'd BETTER move PDQ or...*
"No...you're afraid you DO," he corrected her.
"I'm -not- afraid of you," her voice rang with defiance.
"NOW you're lying;" he judged shrewdly, "I think you're terrified right now."
"How can I be -terrified- if I don't give a FRAK?!" she laughed disbelievingly at his conceit.
"Because you do." His sharp blue gaze was direct and frankly, the way he was looking at her, looking -into her- was disconcerting.
"You know what?" she bit out as she used BOTH hands to shove him out of her way, "This strange little conversation is OVER."
He was still right on her heels, "NOW we're getting somewhere..." he translated contrarily. "Was I a little TOO close for comfort, Kara?"
She stopped cold and he almost ran into her, taking a quick step back as she whipped around to confront him. "I can handle anything you dish out, flyboy!" she promised him coolly, jabbing her forefinger into his chest for emphasis.
"You can't handle me AT ALL..." he practically dared her, still playing at reading her mind. It sounded a lot more like a promise than a threat.
"I'll bet you I can." She assured.
"Yeah? So prove it flygirl...HOW can you handle me?" his eyes measured her determination with bold speculation. *You -want- some?*
Antagonized far past any reasonable tolerance level, she grabbed his face and kissed him hard. She was the harsh aggressor and he yielded willingly - it was difficult to pull away from his gravity...and how did his arms get around her?
"There. See?" She wished she hadn't spoken if it was going to sound that breathy.
HIS voice was warm and sensual, "Well -I- thought we were trying to talk about what was bothering you...but your way is better."
*Why that frakking...!* She drew back her fist and tagged him hard on the upper arm, "You frakwitted moron," she hissed, "get -out- of my way!"
He ignored her outrage, pulling her close again as she tried to remove herself from his embrace. "You mean... `Please do that again...'" he mocked gently.
"Don't you frakking...!" she warned.
"PLEASE will you...?" he returned smoothly and while she was still sputtering at his gall, he took the opportunity to kiss her much more thoroughly this time.
When he pulled away finally, he asked her, "Anything ELSE we need to talk about?"
"Yes," her voice was husky, "Stop kissing me, RIGHT NOW!" and she pulled his mouth back down to meet hers.
He just smiled and kissed her right back.
"Mmmm...Lee?"
"Uhmmm...wha?" he was a little busy trying to get her bra undone through her double tanks...
"Lee!" she insisted.
"Huh? What is it?..." he managed, looking distracted.
"Was that really true what you said...about mirror-truths?"
He pushed her gently back down on her bunk..."Well, no actually," he admitted, grinning unapologetically, "it was complete bullshit, but it -sounded- good, didn't it?"
"Why YOU...!" and then he smothered the rest of her indignation under his mouth's persuasion.
She forgot all about being mad a couple minutes later anyway.
-The End-