Chapter Text
Title: Nessun Dorma
Author: Lopaka Tanu
Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Battlestar Galactica.
Characters: Gaeta, Lee, ensemble
Wordcount: 29259
Fandom: Battlestar Galactica
Pairing: Gaeta/Lee
Rating: Adult
Warnings: Language, Violence, Alternate Universe
Summary: After an incident during his fourth year, Gaeta finds himself left without a posting and adrift among the colonies.
Author's Note: Gaeta never served on the Galactica.
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Sitting at attention with the rest of his graduating class, newly minted Lieutenant Gaeta saluted his superior officers. So far, it had been a long and boring ceremony focusing too much on the religious aspect of their serving in the colonial military. Did they know the wondrous and truly heroic legacy they were becoming a part of? How often would they get the chance to say they knew such and such person before they became an icon? How long did old wind bags drone on before they petered out and would farting speed up the process?
Felix was pretty sure that the last one wasn't part of the ceremony, but he felt it should be there. Time honored tradition demanded humility of it's personnel. What was more humbling than self depreciating humor? He was sure that at least the mischievous looking senior ranking lieutenant at the end of the admiral's entourage would think so. The man had been shooting glances to someone behind Gaeta for the past half hour, making faces in an attempt to get one of his fellow graduating cadets to break the solemn silence.
He had a pretty good impression of who it might be, but didn't care to confirm it. If the other man was going to so much trouble just to get someone else in trouble, he should return the favor. When he was certain the admiral wasn't looking, Felix crossed his eyes, pushed up his nose, and puffed out his cheeks. Puckering his lips in what he knew was a pretty good impression of Admiral Negala talking, Felix mimed the admiral's actions.
It had the desired effect, as the lieutenant snorted with laughter, but covered it up with a cough.
Much to Felix's satisfaction, the admiral had shut up and was busy glaring at the reddening lieutenant.
Chuckles among the admiralty and their entourage made his cheeks flame further. He sent a glare at Felix, but he couldn't be brought to care.
Knowing he had won, Gaeta sat back in his chair and ignored the rest of the ceremony. He had seen it four times in his five year service at the academy. Having delayed his graduation by three years for officer training, Gaeta was hoping to get a position on a Battlestar. There were half a dozen spots opening up for his class and seven of them up for them. As second in his class, he knew he would get his choice among the five remaining positions.
He would have been top of the graduating class, but Commander Ianto had made it his personal duty to make sure Gaeta failed at least one course during fourth year command simulations. He was deemed too cold and calculating to be a good commander. A commander had to know when to trust his people to make the right decision. The fact he had saved most of his team hadn't made a difference in that exercise. He would have saved them all if Zak Adama wasn't such a frakking idiot.
Felix realized he was the only one still sitting due to his lack of attention and knew it would cost him later. Standing quickly, he adjusted his blue uniform. When Negala gave him a reproving glance, Felix bit back his need to puff out his cheeks. Cantankerous old fart probably had a sign on his ass that read keep away from open flames.
When the admiral had finished speaking, the cadets formed a single file row, Felix at the head. He put out his hand to receive the golden eagle rank insignia that made him a lieutenant and the two silver palm fronds that denoted him as a tactical officer. Had he been going on to pilot training, he would have received nothing more than his lieutenant's emblem. Three years more at the academy than most of his class and all he got were two stupid silver palms.
Forcing himself to smile at the admiral as he shook the man's hand, Gaeta cringed on the inside. The man was as disgusting physically as he was politically. The non-active admirals spent most of their days chasing the tails of young recruits and generally making a nuisance of themselves. Negala was the worst of the lot when not dragging his ass across the fleet for surprise inspections.
After the man moved on to the next cadet, Gaeta let himself relax inside his uniform. At least his ass wasn't so clenched anymore. Out of a nervous fear, he kept a tight leash on all bodily functions. While it was okay for an old admiral to rip one through the crowd, a young cadet with such a condition wasn't very popular. It was mere a practicality.
The next admiral in the line of superior officers that were there to congratulate them all stood in front of Gaeta, hand out expectantly. He was one that had pursued a couple of the female cadets, right out of the academy and in to civilian life.
With a haughty sniff, Gaeta ignored the man's hand in favor of the next admiral. He had been friends with a few of those cadets.
The admiral took the hint, giving Felix a glare that promised this wouldn't go unanswered. Moving on to the next cadet, he was met with a similar reaction.
Gaeta felt his spirits rise when by the third cadet, the admiral had learned his lesson and merely smiled repugnantly at them. It was gratifying to know these bastards no longer had a say in his future. When he got a posting on a battlestar, all he had to fear was the personal opinion of the XO and Commanding Officer. Some times there was an admiral, most times it was just a commander.
Speaking of which, the next person in line to congratulate them was the commander for the battlestar Pollox. She was one of the commanders looking for a new junior tactical officer. She was also a complete ass kisser when it came to Admiral Negala, thus Felix shook her hand only enough to keep her moving.
The fourth person was an admiral from Pycon Fleet Command. He was an active duty personnel and commanded the fourth fleet in combat situations. His third in chain of command was looking for a few good JTO's as well, three in fact. The Argos was a new Furies class battlestar, with an escort of five long-range tactical vessels. If he got appointed there, he would more than likely get command of one of the LTVs, and that would stall his career. LTVs were not jumping points for future commands, in fact, most people ended their career as the commanding officer of an LTV.
Therefore, he smiled prettily for the admiral, but prayed inside the man would keep going. He was relieved when the admiral chose the woman beside him to grasp hands with affectionately. She was definitely one of those chosen for the dead end LTV command positions. Served her right.
The fifth and final admiral was a woman many men feared. She made it obvious she had a low opinion of them from the get go. Admiral Cain was a hard assed, recently promoted officer that commanded the Pegasus. If Gaeta wanted to fast track his career, he would bow down and kiss her feet for the position she had open on her battlestar. Sadly, Gaeta liked his balls vice free. Unfortunately for him, Cain seemed to delight in his actions.
Pulling him close when their hands clasped, she grinned at him. Her breath smelled of sea salts, her uniform of military issue cleansers and well oiled leather. "If you tried that with me, I would have your head. As it is, if you are trying to impress me, consider yourself watched." Pushing him back, she released his hand and looked to the next person in line. Her expression at seeing the woman made Felix happy the other admirals hadn't liked him. Gripping the woman's hand, Cain enjoyed the wince the lieutenant made.
"I would be careful of her if I were you, she seems to have taken a liking to you."
Glancing quickly back to the waiting line of dignitaries, Gaeta found himself face to face with his choice in commanders. Putting out his hand hopefully, Gaeta smiled. "Commander Adama, sir, it's good to see you again."
Adama nodded at him distractedly. "How have you been, Cadet?"
"I'm a lieutenant now, sir." Holding up is rank pin, Gaeta smiled cheerfully for the commander. When he saw the Admiral still wasn't looking at him, he frowned. "Is something the matter?"
Giving Felix a distant smile, Adama patted him on the shoulder. "Nothing. Congratulations again, Cadet." Moving on, Adama shook the hand of the next person in line.
"It's lieutenant now..." Felix was stunned. For the past year he had been doing everything he could get the Commander to notice him. He thought he had been succeeding. So far, every communique with him had seemed positive. So what had happened? Gaeta saw the rest of the people in line were civilians. No longer feeling up to kissing their asses, he pulled himself from the line and walked off.
Frowning, Secretary of Education, Laura Roslin, waited her turn. He had seemed like a nice young man, if a little immature in his actions. Glancing down the line to the now amicably chatting Commander Adama, she wondered just what had transpired between them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gaeta was in his dorm room packing his bags when the word came down from the admiralty. He had known from the moment Adama ignored him that his posting to one of the battlestars would not be happening. There were only six available posts in the entire fleet for one with his qualifications and seven people applying for them. He hadn't bothered to try finding out their reasons, it didn't matter, the decision was made.
Zipping the seam on his bag, he gave one last look to the room that had been his home for the past five years with regret. So much time spent here, so much wasted effort. All his hopes of becoming an officer on a battlestar had been the only thing keeping him going at times. Without that, there was nothing keeping here.
He back handed the light switch, breaking the panel in turning off. Leaving the door open, he hefted his one bag over his shoulder. The halls were awash in the sounds and smells of parties being carried out. They were celebrating their victories, his defeat. Nothing new there.
As he stepped in to the night air, Felix tossed off the heavy weight that had been keeping him steady. Who knew where this new life would lead him. All he knew was that he had no place left here, they had made that abundantly clear in their orders.
On his way to the civilian transport pad, he stopped by the dumpster. Taking a bundle from his pack, he threw it in and slammed the lid.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The plan was simple, or so he had thought until he actually put it in to action. Life was far from easy as a newly minted civilian and things made little sense to him. Having prepared all his life to be a colonial officer, Gaeta found normal human activities were inordinately complicated. There was no structure in anything, people on the streets wandered aimlessly, ground transports never obeyed the laws, even the markets were only a step up from the primordial chaos that spawned the gods.
Another thing that bothered him, even in his small hovel of an apartment on the waterfront, was the human noise. So many people doing so many conflicting things, it was pure hell. The first thing he had done when getting the single room apartment was invest what little he had in sound proofing. It hadn't helped.
Gaeta longed for the rigid structure and strict discipline of the colonial fleet. Every morning he awoke at precisely the same time, just before his alarm went off. For the first week since his discharge, he had continued his daily ablutions out of habit. On the eighth day, he had forgotten to brush his hair. By the twelfth day had come, he had stubble. After two weeks, Gaeta stopped trying.
On the fifteenth day of his civilian life, Gaeta awoke to the sounds of explosions in the market place. It wasn't unexpected, he had trained for combat situations after all. One never knew when one was going to come under fire, they had to always be ready for an attack. He had taken his service piece out of the holster on his bed post and stealthily made his way to the front window.
In the market below his window, soldiers were trying to make an attempt on a building. However, the people across the street had other ideas. They had the soldiers out numbered and surrounded.
His first instinct was to open the window and start taking them out. From his position, he was the perfect back up. It would be quite simple with his marksman training, he knew he could do it before they had a chance to spot him. They were soldiers, marines from the looks of their uniforms. Once, it would have been his duty to help them.
Pulling down his blinds, Gaeta went back to bed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gaeta celebrated the end of his first thirty days as a civilian by getting a job. With a dress shirt he once wore under his dress uniform jacket, and a pair of regulation black slacks for formal occasions that weren't quite military, but still important, he applied at a local merchant's stall. From his window observations, he knew they had a security problem, which was bad because they did a lot of business.
Standing in line at the counter, he had his government papers in hand to prove he was qualified. He was third in line from the owners' table, waiting with the rest of the month's petitioners. Actually, he, much like them, were seeking work with the company. There was nothing special to it, nine out of ten were there looking for loading positions. The other one percent were looking to be hired on as guards.
Gaeta was the exception to both.
When the man in front of him was told to apply else where, he straightened his back and held out his official identification to be inspected. Eyes forward, he waited for their next orders. Eventually, the silence clued him in that something was wrong. Looking down at the man behind the table, he raised his eyebrows in question. "Is something wrong with my identification, sir?"
Swallowing, the portly man wiped at his chin. "Who sent you?"
"I do not understand your question. As you can clearly see I..." Reaching down, Gaeta was about to point to point at his official qualifications on the tiny booklet when he found himself at the business end of a gun. "Am a free agent."
"I can read, you dumb frak! It's what I'm readin I don't like!" The man leaned forward on the table, making it sway under his weight. Ignoring how close he had moved to his own guard's guns, the man narrowed his eyes. "Why are you here, Spartan?"
It took a minute for Gaeta to understand what the reference. Frowning, he shook his head. "I am no longer in the military."
"So I'm just supposed to believe you had nothing to do with that dust up a couple weeks ago?" Snickering, the man pursed his lips. His fingers twitched as he wished for a weapon of his own. "I suggest you take your little papers and get out of my establishment. I run a respectable place here and you are fouling up the air."
Seeing as no one there held any good will towards him, Gaeta took back his identification. "Very well. However, before I go, I just thought you should know that three of your people are, in fact, informants for the government. I'll leave it to you to find out who on your own." Smiling once, he swept his gaze over all the assembled people and walked out.
Let the bastard stew on that. In reality, he only knew of one, and suspected another. When the two were discovered, which he was sure would happen, the bastard would tear apart his business searching for the third.
Figuring this place had lost it's appeal, Gaeta planned his next jump. Tauron was a lost cause. Pycon was tempting, but after being burned by the fleet, he wasn't willing to risk running in to one of his former comrads. Libero was an out of the way corner of the system that held very little appeal to most travelers. The colonial military had only a small base there and left it to fend for itself most of the time.
He had studied the supply deliveries and found that a massive convoy went their twice a year to restock everything. It would be a good four months before the next one and news didn't travel fast out that direction. He might be able to get a government position on his current credentials without them checking too much in to why he 'quit' the military.
Decision made, he stalked up his building's steps and began to pack.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tauron but a memory, Gaeta shivered while stepping off the ramp of the transport vessel Black Hag. On the forward hull was a black haired old woman with one eye that reminded Gaeta of Lieutenant Liefler from the academy. While she wasn't one eyed, she was still the worst kind of officer. Her ambition would get someone, may be her, killed one day. Probably very soon if her posting aboard the Guaditana was anything to go by.
She and two others from his class were serving as LTV commanders right now. The two weeks the Black Hag had been in transit, he had taken it upon himself to review the posting of his former fellows. In a surprise move, Commander Adama had gotten the cream of their class. He thought for sure that Cain would take that honor for herself. Nothing but the best had been her motto.
He couldn't really fault Lieutenant JG Hanlon. The man wasn't a bad officer, he just couldn't cut it in a tight situation. The fact he had passed officer training exercise was a mixture of luck and favoritism. Commander Ianto had kept him close.
Gaeta, on the other hand, had been Ianto's bitch. He could still recall the look of sheer hatred the man had given him when he ordered the ship to jump before all his pilots were aboard. That was too bad, the decision had been his and they were dead in the water. There was no way they could get back before the dummy cylons would have destroyed the ship. Had it been real, he would have gotten a commendation for saving his crew.
As it was, he failed the exercise.
Shaking off his revery along with the frost that had formed on his jacket, Gaeta hunkered down in the cheap clothes. Booking passage had taken the few quebits of currency he had 'borrowed' from the merchant his last night on Tauron. Felix figured the ox of a man owed him at least something for revealing his organization was compromised. Getting enough money to afford the coat had cost him something more precious.
Staring at the unsightly figures unloading the cargo from the hold, he felt naked without his service piece. It had cost him half a year's pay for it. Walking across the frozen surface of Libero, he didn't have a single regret about selling it.
Despite the cold air, Gaeta found it easier to breathe here. There were fewer people on Libero because of it's less than hospitable environment and remote location. He had a meeting with the magistrate of PortCity Harbor to determine if his application for a local police officer would be accepted. Over the wireless, the man had been abrupt. He didn't care for useless pleasantries and Felix found himself answering him much like he had his drill instructors. On the bright side, the man hadn't told him to do the universe a favor and jump out an air lock.
Seeing a passing man with an official look to him, Gaeta held up a hand to get his attention. When he had flagged the man down, he stood at attention. "I am sorry to bother you, sir, but can you direct me to the Magistrate's office?"
With a well practiced sneer, the man looked down upon Gaeta despite the fact he was smaller. "If I give you a quebit, will you go away?" Taking a handful of the small triangular coins from his pocket, he tossed them at Gaeta's feet, picked up his pace, and sped off away.
Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Gaeta quickly scooped them up and put them in his pockets. There was enough to at least get him a few freeze dried rations. With a little snow, he had some instant meals ready to eat. That settled one problem, but not his main one.
"All right, where exactly is the Magistrate hiding?" Figuring it was up to him, Gaeta began looking for any street signs. On the old worlds, they usually gave the location of a certain building on them. Market street in the city of Phoebos on Caprica, after two thousand years, was still the center of trade. If he could find one called Capital street, it would take him to the official's offices.
There was very little in the way of life at the space port. Only four ships were docked at the moment and two of those were dormant. In a way, this made Gaeta happy. His relatively few experiences with people outside of the military never ended well. Even his trips to the market, before he simply stopped going and had deliveries made, had made his jaw clench until he hurt. Comforting as it was, he still needed some people in order to make a living.
His wandering took him away from the space port towards what he could tell was the heart of down town Libero Prime, the former capital city. After the ratification of the articles of colonization, the capital had been changed to Deimos on the other side of the planet. Libero Prime now had a transient population of two-thousand people and a permanent of some twenty thousand. It were these facts and the lack of any major colonial military presence in the city that made him choose this as his destination.
The buildings had seen better times, but when the planet spent nine months out of the year covered in ice, keeping up facades was something of a luxury. Holding his coat closed over his body with his hands buried deep in his pockets, Gaeta scanned every building in sight. This would have been easier had he known what he was looking for.
Beneath his feet, the ground started to vibrate. Ice fell off buildings on either side of the street. Alarmed, he looked up in time to see a star liner coming down towards the port, lower than colonial regulations permitted. Star liners were cargo tugs that were banned for atmospheric use by city ordinances on most of the colonies for just this reason. Hands going quickly to his ears, Gaeta braced himself for the rush and roar of the massive ship's breaking thrusters activating.
He wasn't disappointed.
What was left of the ice on the buildings went down and a few windows even shattered as the massive vessel fired breaking thrusters. From what he could tell, they had cut it too damned close and were going to crash land. Either there was a problem, the pilot was drunk, or some asshole was trying to show off. What it amounted to; someone was going to get in trouble with the local constables. Constables meant the magistrate.
Turning on his heel, Gaeta ran back to the star port. If he waited long enough, a constable would come along to deal with the pilot of the star liner and he would be able to hitch a ride. What had taken him fifteen minutes to walk earlier was crossed in only two. Gaeta was amused by what a difference of having a goal made and how familiar it was.
When he reached the port, it was to find it in complete chaos. He had been correct about the star liner, the ship had slid off the landing pad, but was other wise undamaged. 'Showing off' it was. That meant someone was going to be arrested. The thought of seeing someone punished sent a thrill down his spine.
Tamping down on his euphoria, Gaeta slowed his pace down to a brisk walk. He reached the back of the crowd near the star liner's berth in time to see the loading platform lower. At the top of the platform stood two men in colonial military dress and a woman in an orange prisoner jumper. Lowering his head quickly, Gaeta avoided looking directly at them.
He backed away from the crowd, deciding it would be best to keep a low profile. Even as he moved away, the crowd rushed forward, shouting to know what was going on. Despite their noise, he could clearly understand the orders given by the Lieutenant to the people. He found himself wanting to respond to that voice, but it wasn't worth the risk.
Using his long practiced surveillance techniques, he watched the crowd shift as four men in black uniforms with gold symbols on their lapels came rushing in. They intercepted the lieutenants and their prisoner, taking the woman roughly by her bound hands. They tried to complain, but the apparent leader of the men held up a document. After a quick glance, the commanding lieutenant let them take the woman away.
Seeing his chance, Gaeta followed them at a distance far enough away that he could stop any time and pretend to be doing something else. Thankfully, once they had her, they weren't quite so quick to get back to the jail. When they rounded a corner, he picked up his pace to follow. He didn't get very far beyond it before he ran right in to the leader of the uniformed men.
Gaeta managed to keep his feet only out of years of practice. Being a natural klutz as a child gave him a good incentive to learn. As it was, the man in uniform grabbed him by the shoulders to steady them both, unnecessarily. Smiling for the man, Felix let his relief show. "Hello, I am new here. I was wondering, can you direct me to the Magistrate's office?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shackled to a desk waiting for the Magistrate to determine his fate was not how Gaeta planned their meeting. He hadn't technically done anything wrong and there were no official charges, but the man could still make trouble for him. One thing the Magistrate could do was exile him for being a public nuisance since he had no employment, no room, no ship, or any physical ties to the community. Another punishment were the work farms where the poor people went to get back on their feet, supposedly.
Apparently, Libero was strict on the homeless, something he hadn't known, but the constable was happy to inform him of. They justified it by saying someone without shelter could not survive the prolonged winter. While it made a sick logical sense, he understood all too well the real message behind it. If he angered the Magistrate, he would be sent to a 'rehabilitation camp' to 'help' him become a productive citizen 'for his own good'. Constable Herowen had practiced his speech often, Gaeta could tell from the quoting.
Uncomfortably shifting from side to side, he longed for a chair. He had been standing in the same place for the past four hours waiting for the Magistrate to come. Every time he asked one of the constables when he would arrive, they would smirk and say soon. After the third time, he had given up on any help from them.
Gaeta decided the first pay check he got from a job here, he would use it to get a seat on a passenger liner out of there. Even if he didn't get food for the trip, it would be worth the trouble of getting off Libero. It was no wonder people didn't come this way often. He should have at least guessed that something was wrong. After all, the rich liked secluded get aways for their vacations, that was Libero. What offended a rich person most? Poor people.
Just as he was about to risk cutting off circulation to his legs in an attempt to sit on his chains, the doors to the constabulary opened. A man who reminded him of the pig he'd liberated quebits from on Tauron came strolling through them, his arresting constable at his side. It wasn't a good sign the constable was smirking at him.
"You are Lieutenant Gaeta." The Magistrate glanced him up and down, taking in his physic with a disinterested air. Snorting, he cocked his head to the constable. "Get him to the transport before those morons from fleet command come looking for him."
Nodding, the constable walked over to Gaeta, the key to his shackles at the ready. He made a show of removing the anklets first. Glancing up at the surprised Gaeta, his smirk only grew. "You are lucky they had the currency, the Magistrate doesn't like deserters. Given your physical build and youth, hard labor would most likely have been the sentence."
"Deserter?" Then it came to him that the Magistrate had called him a Lieutenant. "I'm not with the Colonial Military any more. I resigned six weeks ago! I've done nothing wrong, you have no right to imprison me!"
"Be silent!" Smacking Gaeta on the ass, the constable shook his head. After he had unthreaded the chains from the eye hooks in the desk's side, he used the length of chain that had bound Gaeta's hands to his feet as a leash. When Gaeta refused to budge, he jerked on it hard. "Don't start with me, little boy. Warrant or no, I won't hesitate to give you a taste of Libero justice."
Reluctantly, Gaeta let the man lead him out of the constabulary and back on to the street. At the entrance, another constable met them with Gaeta's duffle strung over his shoulder. Gaeta knew nothing of great importance was in it. Other than his papers, all he carried were his clothes and those few quebits he owned. If he still had those, he would consider himself fortunate.
"Put it over his shoulder, he can carry it." The constable leading him pointed at Gaeta to signal where his bag went.
Gaeta was nearly strangled by how rough the man slung it over his bound arms and body. Before he could respond, the constable was dragging him forward again. After several hours in the constabulary, Gaeta had gotten used to the warmth. The bitter cold out side stung his eyes making them water, effectively blurring his vision. By the time his blinking had adjusted his eyes to the cold, the constable was slowing down.
They were at the star port and the Constable was leading him to a ship that hadn't been there earlier. He could tell from the shape it was a colonial Raptor. The coloring and emblem on the side made it abundantly clear what branch it belonged to. Gaeta began to wonder just what the hell was going on until he saw the man standing in the hatch of the shuttle looking at him expectantly. It was the man from the star liner.
He had been recognized.
Suddenly digging in his boots and jerking on his bonds, he pulled the constable almost off his feet. The man started to recover his balance when Gaeta jerked the chain back to him. Bringing up his foot in to the man's back, he sent the constable sprawling forward. Free of the constable, he turned to run. Whatever they wanted, they could do it without him. The frakking black ops division could go straight to the cylons for all he cared.
He had almost made it to the edge of the tarmac when a figure in a gray flight suit rammed in to him from the side. He rolled in to the fall, coming back up to his feet. Gaeta pulled up the chain with his hands, intending to use it as a whip if necessary. As the lieutenant raised a hand to show him he was unarmed, Gaeta took a step back. Black Ops didn't need a weapon to kill him, just to get close enough. "Don't come any closer, Lieutenant. I don't want to hurt you, but I will defend myself."
"Hold on a minute. No one is going to do anything to you." Keeping his actions slow, Lee tried to demonstrate for Felix that he was sincere. He smiled slowly. "I'm sorry, but saying you were a deserter was necessary to get you out. Your arrest was picked up on the wireless by my co-pilot. If we hadn't done something, you would be on your way to a forced labor camp now."
"Am I supposed to believe that bullshit? What are you really here for?" Making sure to keep the same amount of space between them, Gaeta searched for the other lieutenant. He hadn't seen the man any where, but he had to be around. In the distance, he could see the constable was starting to get up. If he didn't move soon, he would be seriously out numbered.
Taking advantage of Felix's distraction, Lee rushed forward. He knew the he would be hit by the chain as it came down, but it was an acceptable pain. When it came, his thoughts of tolerating the pain went out the window and any mercy he might have shown Gaeta went with it. Tackling the other man, Lee made sure Gaeta went down hard.
The wind knocked out of him, Gaeta's vision went dark for a moment as he gasped for air. For what felt like an eternity, he lay there gaping. His lungs burned and his ribs felt like they were broken. As he closed his eyes, he forced his body to relax and begin breathing again. The first breath hurt like hell and he let the world know by crying out.
Sitting up, Lee shook the dust from his hair. Seeing that Gaeta wasn't going to be moving for a while, he grinned. After a few leg and arm stretches, he knelt down beside the gasping man, picked him up by a leg and arm, then pulled him up over his shoulders. Standing with his burden, Lee's legs shook. "I have to get more time in the work out room!" Stumbling passed the constable, he ignored the man and went on to his Raptor.
Once at the Raptor, he dropped Gaeta on the flight deck and rolled him in to the ship. He turned and gave the constable a one fingered salute before walking up the ramp. Sealing the hatch, he gave Lieutenant Mobrey a thumbs up and grabbed his helmet. Lee barely had time to grab hold of the bulk head before the Raptor was shooting off in to the atmosphere.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sitting up, Gaeta rubbed at his aching back and head. He would be bruised for the better part of two weeks, he knew from experience. Glaring over his shoulder at Lee, he twisted his back until the bones popped back in place. Now that he was no longer pinching a nerve, he could get in to a more comfortable position. He took the extra chair behind the pilot's seat so he could glare at Lee from a better position. "Where are we going?"
"Caprica. Now that Shyulera has been apprehended and turned over to the colonial authorities, our mission is complete." Checking the readouts on his instrument panel, Lee changed the settings for FTL use. After calculating the jump, he glanced over quickly to Gaeta. "I suggest you baton yourself down, we are about to make the jump."
Wincing as he moved sore muscles, Gaeta quickly slipped in to the seat's harness. It was nothing he hadn't done in basic training. The worst part was the post jump wave of disorientation. The first three times he had made one, they had a bucket handy. The fourth, he was the only one in his class not needing it, that was because he hadn't eaten anything that morning. Thus, he had earned the first passing grade in Commander Nokilosa's course.
Hearing the ship's power drain was the first signal the FTL drive was activating. Closing his eyes, Gaeta threw his head back against the head rest. The Raptor shuddered then he felt his body clench as the drive activated. A moment later his head exploded for an instant of pain then it was over. The FTL drive shut down and the ship was now cruising over what he assumed was Caprica.
Daring to open his eyes, he glanced out the forward window. He closed his eyes again the next instant, wishing he hadn't done it. Ahead of them, the planet was coming up to meet them at a rapid pace. They were not in atmosphere, yet, but that would soon change. Gripping his seat, he forced his sore chest to open and breathe deeply.
Chuckling, Lee watched Gaeta out of the corner of his eye. Keeping the main part of his attention focused on the instruments, he monitored the output on his controls. The moment they hit the atmosphere, he switched all his attention back to the controls. They were going in a little fast, but nothing he knew Mobrey couldn't handle. He was satisfied when the controls flashed green after a second and the Raptor leveled off.
"Course laid in. E.T.A. Athens Base, fifteen minutes." Flicking the navigational guidance over from centralized to planetary control, Mobrey let the ground personnel guide the ship in. It took a moment for the primitive on-board computer to recognize the new format and accept it. In that time, he had complete control of the Raptor. For that moment, he let it drop suddenly. Hearing Gaeta gasp, he chuckled. "Nothing to worry about, Lieutenant, just a little turbulence."
Instead of replying, Gaeta plotted his revenge. It would never come about, but to know he had a plan, just in case, made him feel loads better. There would be lots of pain, may be blood too, but not much. The man would scream a dozen times before Gaeta silenced him permanently. With that finished, he waited for the time to elapse and the Raptor to land.
After what felt like an eternity, Gaeta felt the breaking thrusters fire and the weight of gravity on them. The ship shuddered a little as it came down. When he felt the tell tale thump of the Raptor touching down, he released his breath slowly to stop his thumping heart. It wasn't much in the way of calming, but gave him something to do.
Shutting down the systems, Lee depressurized the Raptor and activated the hatch. When he had finished the post flight check, he clicked off the navigational console and unbuckled himself. Removing his helmet, he stood as far as the Raptor's ceiling would let him. Gesturing to the open hatch, he looked a Gaeta. "After you, Mr. Gaeta."
Slipping out of his own harness, Felix tentatively stood up and climbed out of the Raptor. He wasn't exactly sure what he was expecting, something to do with a security detail, but was surprised to find only a blonde waiting at the end of their ramp with a wide grin. She didn't look like any military police he had ever seen, more like a rocket jockey. As he walked down the flight deck of the Raptor, her eyes kept switching between him and Lee.
"So, this is the Daphne you kidnapped, eh, Apollo?" Grin growing wider, she inspected Gaeta's body as he jumped off the edge. A quick cock of her head to the side was followed by a sound of appreciation. "Wish I had a piece like that among my nuggets."
"Hands off, Lieutenant, the Captain here's got dibs." Patting Lee on the head, Mobrey slipped passed him to grin at Kara. Using her as a human shield, he avoided being hit by Lee's helmet.
As it was, Kara barely had enough room between Mobrey and the Raptor to dodge the flying helmet. "Hey! If you're going to involve me in killing this pain in the ass, at least let me get in a few cracks."
"Sure, why not." Cracking his knuckles, Lee walked towards Kara and Mobrey. "You hold him first."
"Oh, come on guys, what would be the fun in that?" Backing away as Kara turned on him, Mobrey held up his hands. Waving at them friendly, he grinned. "If you kill me, Lee, you won't get that promotion. You'll go to Tarterous on Geminon a lowly former Lieutenant."
Seeing that the three pilots were busy, Gaeta backed around the side of the Raptor slowly so as not to draw attention to himself. If he could just make it off the runway, he could fake his way off the base. Caprica wasn't much better than Pycon, but at least the fleet presence was minimal in comparison. He scanned the horizon for sign posts and sighed when he saw one. He really was at Athens Base, the largest pilot training grounds in the system. That was okay, it only made things a little harder, he could deal with that.
Holding Mobrey down by sitting on his chest while Lee plucked hairs from his stomach, Kara was having the time of her life. Where else would a man willingly kiss her ass, literally? After the tenth kiss, she sighed. He had completed the task and she started to climb off his chest. It was then she noticed something strange. "Hey, where'd your Daphne go?"
Tossing away the latest body hair, Apollo glanced over his shoulder. He had been about to say by the Raptor, but Gaeta was no where to be found. "Damn! He can't have gotten far."
"Apollo, if the Admiral finds out you've let a civilian loose on his base he is going to kick your sorry ass back to Pycon!" Climbing to her feet, Kara 'accidentally' stepped on Mobrey's gut. Putting a hand up to protect her eyes against the sun, she scanned the horizon. "He isn't on this side, he must have slipped around the Raptor."
"Then let's go find him!" Picking up his helmet, Lee ran around the Raptor and started searching. At first, all he saw was the usual base activity. Raptors and Vipers were getting ready for take off. Larger troop carriers were being hauled in to play for training exercises and one admiral's yacht was being prepped for launch. On a hunch, he searched the field around the yacht and saw a dark curly head among the ground techs. "He's trying to hide among the crew of the yacht!"
Running after Lee, Kara grinned. She did love a good chase. "We better catch him before someone catches on. If we don't, you're going to catch hell. Catch my drift?" Wagging her eyebrows at him as she matched his speed, she avoided his striking hand. "Come on, Lee, get a sense of humor!"
"He's..." Mobrey, three steps behind them, gasped, "just worried about..." He groaned in pain. "He's worried about the promotion!"
"Jeeze, Mobes, you seriously need to get in shape." Kara gave him a quick once over. "And I don't mean Pear either."
"That's real funny, Kara." Finally matching their speed as they neared the activity around the yacht, he grinned. "Found a man you haven't frakked yet?"
"Give it up, Mobrey, I told you, you aren't my type." She cuffed him upside the head and burst in to the crowd of ground personnel. "Excuse me, pardon me! Coming through!"
Lee was less courteous as he took the lead, he pushed people out of his way. He was ten feet away from Gaeta when a hose rose off the ground as it was attached to the yacht. He wasn't quick enough to jump it and tripped over it.
Hearing the pained grunt, Felix turned enough to glance over his shoulder. Upon noticing his tails, he started to move on. But seeing that Lee wasn't moving, he felt hesitant to leave him. He still had time to get out of there before the other two reached him if he left now. With a sigh, he rushed to Lee's side. Kneeling down, he reached out to check Lee's spine for damage. Finding nothing, he slid his fingers around Lee's neck to check for a pulse.
Through the pain of having the breath knocked out of him, Lee felt Felix's hand on his neck. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the boots and knew the owner instantly. He clutched at the hand desperately, pulling Gaeta's arm to his chest. Lee wasn't about to let him go again.
Seeing that Lee was just winded, Gaeta wrapped his free arm around Lee's chest and hoisted him back against himself. He knew he would regret this later, but right now, the other man needed his help. Easing Lee back against his chest, he unzipped the front of Lee's flight suit, undoing the collar. He gently massaged at Lee's ribs. "Just relax, Lieutenant, let your body do all the work."
Kara stopped far enough away to see that Lee wasn't being harmed, but still be out of range. The techs were giving her dirty looks, but she didn't care. It was amusing to see the stuffy Apollo being felt up on a busy tarmac. When Mobrey finally caught up to her, she put a hand over his chest to keep him back. "Watch."
For his part, Lee kept his eyes closed to ease the panic. The coincidental reversal of their rolls was bitter. Though, Gaeta had a devil's touch, he had to admit. Letting his head drop back on Felix's shoulder, Lee let himself enjoy the massaging of his ribs.
Gaeta frowned at Lee, but kept up his ministrations. Now that he had a better look at the man, he seemed familiar, but he couldn't place from where. It took Lee scrunching up his face in pain for Gaeta to remember. With a twist of Lee's nipple, he let the other man go.
"Ow! Hey!" Lee had to act fast to prevent himself from falling over when Gaeta released him. "What did you do that for?" Zipping up his flight suit, he rubbed at his now aching nipple.
"You were an ass!" Standing up, Gaeta started to walk away, only to run in to Kara and Mobrey. Putting up his fists, he took a defensive stance. "Out of my way."
Hands on hips, Kara cocked her head a bit, smile in place. "Well, usually people wait until they get to know him a little better before pronouncing judgement, but I got to say you hit the nail on the head." She slapped Mobrey in the gut when he started to say something. "Ignore him, as co-pilots, they are obligated to defend each other in public. I can't tell you the things Mobrey here has said about our little Adama."
"I'm right here, Kara, I don't understand why I have to keep reminding you of that fact." Limping up to them, Lee sent a glare at his friend. When the stiff looking Gaeta turned to him, he frowned. "What now?"
Gaeta watched him from under his brow. "You're an Adama?"
"Only by birth." Wincing as he rolled his shoulder, Lee didn't see it coming.
Thankfully for him, Kara did. She quickly wrestled the struggling Gaeta in to a shoulder lock from behind. "Whoa there! Hold on, we don't want anyone getting hurt now."
Lee was shocked by the sudden violent display. Keeping a safe distance even as Gaeta surged at him again, he jumped back. "What the frak is your problem?"
"Your family, that's my problem! You frakking Adama's think you own the colonies!" Gaeta tried once more to shrug himself free of Kara to no avail.
"So far I'm not hearing anything that we didn't already know." Kara grinned at Lee over Felix's shoulders. "Usually, people just call them asses and walk away. What's gotten under your skin, Daphne?"
"My name is.... Was Lieutenant JTO Felix Gaeta!" At his words, Felix saw Lee's face go blank. When the other man nodded, Gaeta continued on. "I was top of my class four years running when a cadet named Zak Adama thought he would try something he wasn't authorized for during a training exorcise. He should have been washed out of basic training, but his old man pulled some strings. When I protested, the Commander failed me."
"And my father never forgave you, it's not in his nature." Lee lifted his chin quickly to signal Kara to let him go. He was prepared for Felix if he came at him again, but was glad when he didn't. Lowering his guard, he leaned on his good leg. "It's the reason I made a deal with the Magistrate on Libero for you. You wouldn't have been there if he hadn't done everything in his power to ruin your career."
Seeing Lee in a new light, Gaeta finally understood. He wasn't under arrest, it was guilt that brought him here. His arms ached where he had been held, and his chest still hurt from the fall on Libero. Sighing, he looked down at the ground for lack of a better place. "What now?"
Being the center of attention, Lee shrugged, then winced where his nipple rubbed against his uniform. "Uh, I think we head to the barracks. From there, we'll decided later."
Gaeta nodded. It would probably be the best offer he would get anywhere. Seeing that Lee was still in pain, Gaeta walked over to him. He took Lee's left arm and pulled it over his shoulders to help ease his weight off the bad leg. When Lee's arm clenched around his shoulder, bringing him closer to Lee's body, Gaeta felt something inside him clench in anticipation. He tamped down on it to examine later in favor of helping Lee walk.
Grinning, Kara clapped her hands together twice. "All right, grunts, show's over! Get your asses moving! This ship won't take care of itself!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Slipping out of his jacket, Gaeta put it down on top of his duffle. How it had ended up here before they did, he wasn't sure. He was glad to find all his things were still in it, even the quebits the ass on Libero had thrown him. He pushed that memory from his mind, there were other more important things going on here.
Glancing over at Lee, he was glad they were the only ones in the room. The other man was stripping down and it was playing havoc with his attention. Every time he tried to think about those other important things, he kept getting drawn back to watching Lee. Eventually, he forced himself to look away. "So, uh, what are we going to do now?"
Sliding his shorts down, Lee winced. It was almost impossible to get out of clothes when injured. "I'm going to be grounded for the better part of a week because of this, so I don't know. To be truthful, after capturing Shyulera, I had planned some down time anyways. Then, when Mobrey heard about you over the wireless, I just acted. You set me back a thousand quebits, by the way. Bribes were cheaper when I was a kid." As his shorts slid off his body, he kicked them to the foot of his open locker.
"Zak is coming back in two days and I wanted to be as far away as possible." Snickering, Lee slid his fingers in the waist band of his boxers shorts before pushing them off his hips. "He and Kara go at it like cats and dogs every time he comes back from leave. Trust me, it isn't something you want to experience." Turning around, he grabbed a towel off his locker door and held it up. "Wanna catch a shower before we hit the road?" When he looked up, he saw Gaeta staring at him slack jawed and wide eyed. "Something wrong?"
Gaeta couldn't speak, so he shook his head no. Gods above, he would burn in Tarterous for this, but he stood up. His hands rose of their own accord to take the offered towel from Lee. Holding the towel close, he caressed it.
"Good, but I think you'll need to take your clothes off first, unless you have something to hide." Chuckling again, Lee grabbed his spare towel and wrapped it around his neck. "See you in the showers, Gaeta." With an innocent smile on his face, he strutted towards the showers and began to whistle.
Gaeta watched him until he turned the corner at the end of the barracks. Shuddering after Lee's ass disappeared from sight, he groaned. "May be this wasn't such a good idea." Stripping off his clothes quickly, he put them in the bag. It wasn't until he had his shirt off that he realized he still had on his dog tags. After five years, he simply forgot they were there, and it wasn't until now that he started to actually notice he had a body again.
Figuring there wasn't a point in taking them off, he tugged on them. If he removed them, he wouldn't feel like himself any more. They were an essential part of who he was, even though they no longer held the same meaning. His name was not Lieutenant JTO Felix Gaeta any more. He was once again regular old Felix Gaeta.
Grabbing his towel, being naked around Lee just didn't seem that big a deal any more. Gaeta walked to the end of the barracks and entered the shower. It was the smell and sound that did it. In the weeks since he had been discharged, he hadn't experienced a communal shower or the standard military issue cleanser. The surreal experience of it all caused him to stagger and clutch the tiled wall.
It really was over. His everything, his life as it had been, was gone. Nothing was ever going to be the same. Without his career, he didn't know who or what he was. When the tears came, he couldn't summon the strength to stop them. Instead, he slid down the tile to sit on the floor.
In alarm, Lee came over to kneel next to Gaeta. He put a hand on the man's shoulder in concern. "What's wrong? Are you injured?" Lee didn't expect to be enveloped in a tight hug, but allowed it to happen. Obviously, Felix needed someone to be there for him. What he was dealing with had become too much. Silently, he stroked Gaeta's back, holding him through the shudders that rocked his body.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Combing out his curling hair, Gaeta looked at himself in the mirror. For the first time since it happened, he started to feel like himself again. It wasn't much of a difference, but letting his hair grow felt like the right way to reflect the changes inside him. He knew from experience that in about six months the curls would be too much and he would have to get them trimmed. He looked forward to it.
Glancing to the right, he caught sight of Lee watching him in the mirror. A tentative smile graced his face for a moment before he let it go. Going back to his grooming, he rubbed at his chin. He would need to shave soon, the stubble was already visible. Seeing Lee moving, he looked at him.
Lee held up a pair of black boxer shorts. "They might be a little tight, but I noticed you didn't have any in your bag."
"What?" Sighing with disgust, Gaeta let go of his hair. It was hopeless until it got longer. "They must have kept them. Asses." He took the offered shorts and gave Lee the towel he had wrapped around his waist in return. Quickly, he pulled them on, snapping the waist line in place. They were tight in several areas, but would do. Scrubbing at his eyes, he yawned.
Grinning, Lee tossed the towel in to the clothes bin at the end of the wash room. It made it half in, hanging on the edge of the side. Shrugging, he turned back to see Gaeta yawn. Seeing Gaeta made him do it. Realizing how long it had been since he actually had sleep, he wrapped an arm around Gaeta's shoulders. "Come on, the rest of this can wait until tomorrow. I got a bunk that is singing to me with room for two."
As he was led by Lee, Gaeta felt a dopey grin start on his features. He felt exhausted, both physically and mentally, so sleep sounded nice. "What about the other bunks?"
"Oh, don't worry about them. They'll be gone until tonight, and by the time they get back, we will already have split." Waving it off, Lee dragged Gaeta towards the bunks.
"No, I meant isn't there an open bunk?" Yawning again, Gaeta trusted Lee to guide him.
"Well, Zak is the only one on leave, but I wouldn't let a rat sleep in that rat's nest." Snickering, Lee stopped when they reached his bunk. Using both hands, he pushed Gaeta down on to his bunk. "Just lay back and close your eyes, it'll be over before you know."
"How many people you told that to, Lieutenant?" Gaeta drowsily complied even as he spoke. Pulling the covers from beneath him, he slid his feet under them and laid down.
Lee let the remark slide as Gaeta started to fall asleep. There was a problem, though. "Scooch over!" He pushed Gaeta to the wall, then climbed in behind him. There wasn't enough for him to lay on his back, so he spooned up behind Gaeta. Out of habit, Lee slid his hand down the body of his bed mate and over his hip to lock with Gaeta's own. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Holding his bag over his shoulder, Zak slipped in to the pilot's barracks. After a tropical depression had ruined the Ithycan weather, he had called in a transport and ended his leave early. It wasn't a total loss, he got a tan out of it. It was more than he could say for Lee, who seemed to constantly fluctuate between ghost and pale. Snickering, he took off his sun glasses in the darkened room.
If the lights were out, that meant Lee was back and in his bunk asleep. His older brother kept odd hours and raised holy hell if his sleep was interrupted. Since his holiday had ended in a bust, he might as well have some fun at his brother's expense. This required some stealth, so he took off his boots. Creeping along the bunks towards his brother's in socks, he prepared himself to jump on Lee.
What he saw when he came in sight of his brother's bunk made him grin. "So, the old dog wasn't neutered after all." Strolling over to his own bunk, Zak dropped off his stuff before veering over to Lee's. "Let's see who decided to fall for the ugly brother." Snickering, he picked up his flashlight and shown it over in Lee's bunk.
Lee was curled up pretty tight against the person, but there was no mistaking that arm. His brother was in bed with a man. Nothing innocent about the way his brother was holding him, or the fact they were naked, either. "Dad's going to love this." Sliding the light up the man's body, he stopped at the neck. The glint of a silver chain told him the man was at least in the military. Next, he tried to see if he recognized the face, but couldn't get a good look. All he could see were dark curls. "Brother likes tall, dark, and handsome. Strike that, dark and handsome, Lee and he are the same size."
Hearing something, Lee woke up from the wonderfully stimulating dream he had been having and looked around. Seeing it was just Zak, he flipped him off and snuggled back in the warmth of his bed mate. When Gaeta started to stir, he stroked his side and pressed his lips to his shoulder. "Shh, it's nothing." After kissing Gaeta's shoulder again, they both settled down and went back to sleep.
Zak looked up from his brother to see Mobrey entering the barracks. Gesturing at the men on the bunk, he raised an eyebrow. "How long has this been going on?"
"What?" Mobrey took in the bunk and his eyebrows disappeared in his hairline. "Damn, and I thought you moved fast. Guess it's genetic, which means I'll never learn it." Hanging his head sadly, he mimed at wiping away a tear. After a couple of huffy sniffs, he threw a thumb over his shoulder. "The gorgon saw your transport land, she wants to see you on the tarmac with the other nuggets."
"I'm not back five minutes and she is already riding my ass." Shaking his head in disgust, Zak opened his locker door, slamming it against the next one. No longer thinking about Lee, Zak jerked his shirt over his head and grabbed the uniform tank to put on. Nothing good could come of Kara sending Mobrey after him. After he switched out of his rec pants for the flight shorts, he grabbed the flight suit. "See you on the ground, Mobes." He slammed his locker shut and ran out of the room.
Waking up again, Lee frowned. This time he was more alert. Glancing about for the person who woke him, he glared at Mobrey.
Throwing up his hands, Mobrey shook his head. "Wasn't me that woke the all mighty Apollo from his slumber." Grinning, he nodded towards where Lee was wrapped around Gaeta. "Looks like you two got cozy fast."
"We were tired after the shower." Hearing Mobrey snickering, he grabbed the pillow and threw it at him. "Get your mind out of the drain. He's going through some tough times and unlike some people, I thought I would help him out."
"He's awake now." Rubbing at his eyes, Gaeta rolled over so that he faced Lee. Now that they shared the same pillow, they were less than two inches apart. Staring at Lee with a bored expression, he was sober for all of two seconds before snickering. "Sleep well?"
"Yeah, actually. At least until some loud mouths came in." Shooting Mobrey a quick look, Lee pulled the blanket up over his shoulders. He was too warm and comfortable to get up just yet. Besides, it had only been a couple hours and his leg still ached. While Gaeta continued to watch him, Lee settled down to sleep. "Mobrey, be so kind as to leave now, unless you've come to climb in your own bunk for a change."
"Aw, you know me, always finding someone else to share a bed with." Truth was, it wasn't a lot of someone elses, it was the same person. Turning to go, he paused in the doorway as he remembered something. "Oh, Lee, Boomer and Helo told me to tell you that as the new kids, it is their place to try and out shine everyone else. I believe her exact words were 'quit being a dick and stealing our thunder'."
"Tell Boomer she can ride Helo's red rocket to Vega if she is so inclined for all I care. Now get out." When Lee heard Mobrey's chuckling disappear, he cleared his throat and tried to get comfortable. He was almost there, ready to sleep, but something was off. Reaching out, he felt around for what it was. "Gaeta, roll over."
"Lieutenant, although I am highly flattered, I don't think it would be appropriate." Gaeta was giggling as Lee forced him to roll over and face the wall again. Sighing as Lee molded their bodies together, Gaeta felt the weakness of fatigue come over his limbs. Despite the strange feeling of being in someone's arms, he found he rather enjoyed it. In a way, it was comforting, even if it only lasted until he woke up.
Lee waited until Gaeta was asleep again before he moved. Pressing his nose in to Gaeta's hair, he felt foolish. He inhaled the scent of the other man, luxuriating in having to share the same pillow. With a contented smile, he closed his eyes and followed Gaeta in to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Pulling on his pants, Felix looked forlornly at his shabby clothing. The coat had been torn in several places, including the shoulder, and he didn't have any way to repair it. His only good pair of pants were the dress bottoms he hadn't worn since his last day as a cadet. He was wearing those now, but his other clothes were a lost cause.
Coming up behind Felix, Lee pulled on his own shirt. It was one of the few civilian clothes he owned on base. Pulling out an old style flight jacket and a shirt, he reached around Gaeta and draped them over his chest. "Put these on. The shirt might be tight, but the jacket was my mother's uncle's, it should fit."
Taking the shirt and jacket, Gaeta stared at them. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because it will upset my father when he finds out." Chucking the shirt he just had on, Lee pulled out another one. After he checked it for stains, he felt it reasonably clean and pulled it on. "You need help, I need a house boy, I am sure we can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement." His laughter increased as Gaeta spun to stare at him. "Kidding. Truth be told, I feel like doing it. What my father did was wrong and if I don't fix it, no one will. Everyone else around here will bend down and kiss his ass in a moment's notice."
"I don't need you to fix this. This is my life, my fight, I can handle it." He started to foist the jacket and shirt back on to Lee, but the other man stilled his actions with a hand on his wrists.
"Work it out on your own time. If it makes you uncomfortable, think of it as a favor. I do you one now and you owe me later." Releasing Gaeta's arm, Lee shook his head. "And if that doesn't work for you, the rent boy job is still open. I have to warn you, though, the pay is lousy, the hours long, and you'd spend a lot of time on your knees.... scrubbing floors." Putting on his sun glasses, Lee grabbed his duffle bag and walked to the door.
Despite an overwhelming urge to drop the clothes and run for his life, Felix put on the shirt.
~~~~~~~~~~~