Starting Over.
Jan. 14th, 2018 04:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fiveofnoneThe Cylon War memorial was nearly finished, and so far as Caspar was concerned, it couldn’t be over fast enough.
Glorified manual labor was nothing new to him. His model, more often than not, was responsible for the nitty gritty background work while the Ones and the Threes came up with the plans and the Sixes took all the glory. Well, the Ones were all dead and the Threes boxed up on a defunct resurrection hub, but there weren’t any Sixes working on the memorial. Just him and a team of human laborers.
And Seth. Goddamn Seth. The man had not let his guard down around him this entire time. It amused Caspar, but it annoyed him, too. He had to put up with every snide aside that oaf of a man tossed at him. They weren’t even that clever. Where was the fun in that?
But at least Seth talked to him. The rest of the humans gave him the cold shoulder. At first, anyway. A few talked to him amiably, but only in the context of work. Hey, Caspar, can you do this incredibly menial but physically difficult task for me? Thanks, buddy. It was like the Chiron all over again.
Whenever he fantasized about dropping whatever tool was in his hand and leaving all the hard work for some other sap, he reminded himself who he was doing this for — Adia. The more he got along with the humans on the island, the less conflict he generated for his girl. All he wanted out of life was to make her happy. If it meant seeing the memorial project to completion and not snapping back at Seth after the umpteenth insult, then so be it.
When all that was left to the memorial were a few decorative details, Seth called it a day and invited everyone to Town Hall to wind down. The building at the center of Atlantis served as a makeshift pub in the evening, a place for people to congregate and drink the homebrews popping up all over the island. Naturally, Caspar tried to get out of it, but Seth insisted. “Think of how happy you’ll make Adia, socializing with the humans,” he said smugly, and Caspar grit his teeth and followed along.
Despite not asking, someone handed him a drink — mead, from the smell of it, and that’s the only reason he took a sip, because it reminded him of Adia’s interest in beekeeping. It tasted only a shade better than the swill on New Caprica, but it was the least offensive thing about being stuck in a room with a bunch of inebriated humans. He decided to give himself a half-hour before leaving, which didn’t seem like it would be an issue. Aside from some initial small talk with his friendlier co-workers, no one was keeping him company.
When he got up from his seat, someone was blocking his exit.
It was… shit, what was that guy’s name. Ajax or Alex or something like that. He did some of the interior design work on memorial, but he’d never spoken to Caspar. The bigger man was glaring at him, his dark eyes narrowed in disgust.
“Excuse me,” Caspar said politely.
Alex smiled unpleasantly. “What’s the rush, Aaron? You didn’t finish your drink.”
Ah. Using the name of the most famous Five of all to get a rise out of him. Typical. “I think you’re confusing me with someone else, and I’m not very thirsty.” He waved his hand to the side. “Now, if you don’t mind…?”
“Nah, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t matter what the frak I call you. You’re all the same.” Alex took a stumbling step forward into Caspar’s space, reeking of cheap liquor. “Acting like you’re better than everyone else. Pretending that you didn’t try to kill all of us a couple months ago.”
Caspar kept his expression perfectly neutral. He could hear the sounds of conversation around him fading into whispers. They had an audience.
“How’s it feel to build a memorial for the people you killed? You like looking at the names? Does it get you off?”
Caspar tightened his jaw and said nothing.
Alex’s fake smile curled into an nasty leer. “You aren’t even one of the good Cylons. The only reason you’re here is because your girlfriend has a fetish for toaster dick —“
Caspar’s hand lashed out and caught Alex by the throat. In an instant, he had the man’s head slammed against the nearest counter, his body pinned against the edge by Caspar’s other arm. Alex struggled, but his bigger size was no advantage against Caspar’s sheer strength.
“Hey.” Caspar shifted his grip so he could lean down and speak into the other man’s ear. “It looks like we have ourselves a problem, Alexander. You can say whatever the frak you want about me, but the second you bring Adia into this? Things are going to get real ugly, real fast. So I’m going to suggest you re-evaluate that line of conversation. Hmm?”
Alex choked out what sounded like a sob, his eyes watering. Caspar’s hand tightened a little around his windpipe, a reminder of what he was capable of, before he let go completely and stepped away.
The room was dead silent.
Seth came storming over, but to Caspar’s surprise, it was Alex that he grabbed, hoisting the man from the table and dragging him to the door. “You need to go home and sleep off whatever stupid juice made you do that,” he told him. Alex rubbed his throat and tried to cough out a reply, but Seth shook his head. “No, shut up. Go home.”
He gave him a good shove out the door and yelled after him, “And don’t let Maggie catch you talking shit about Adia or she’ll kill you for real!”
The room remained silent while Seth dusted off his hands. He took a good look around before sighing loudly. “Okay, we all saw that Alex was being a giant asshole and got what he deserved by trying to start a fight. We all saw that. Right?”
Most of the other bar-goers murmured their assent. Show over, they stopped staring at Caspar and resumed their conversations and card games, filling the room with its usual laughter and light-hearted conversation.
The cold, sharp fury that Caspar had only a moment ago melted into awkwardness. He turned toward the door again but Seth put a hand on his shoulder. “You and I,” he said, gesturing to the table he had vacated, “Are going to have a talk.”
Caspar gave him a sour look but sat down anyway.
Seth straddled the chair across from him, fixing him with a critical stare. “Do you realize that there is a an entire spectrum of ways to respond to someone being a dick to you? You have more options than standing there and taking it or going full psycho.”
He only got a brief glare for his trouble before Caspar looked away petulantly.
“You weren’t like this on the Chiron,” Seth pointed out. “Where’s all that sarcastic wit you’re so famous for? Is this your own personal problem, or some sort of Five behavior that’s only coming out now?”
“Considering I’m the only one left, I guess that’s going to be a goddamn mystery!” Caspar snapped back, not the least bit gracious about Seth saving his ass.
Then Seth surprised him for a second time that night. He leaned against the table and laughed, a full-on belly laugh that went on for several seconds. “There you go, man! How come you’ve been holding back on me?”
Caspar let out a huff in frustration. “Why’d you take my side?” he countered, ignoring the question. “You having a change a heart about me?”
Seth’s smile disappeared, replaced with disappointment. “As a matter of fact, I already have. I can’t stay angry at someone who makes Adia that happy.” He pointed a finger at Caspar’s chest. “But you haven’t made it easy. You don’t say anything to anyone, walking around with that bitchy expression on your face.”
“Excuse me?” Caspar asked, agitated, but Seth started laughing again.
“You’re making it right now! C’mon, man.” He tapped at Caspar’s glass, half-full of fermented honey. “We used to get along, back on the Chiron. Finish your drink and talk to me.”
Despite the extended olive branch, Caspar had to fight back his impulse to stand up and storm out.
“You can tell me what Adia has been up to.” Seth grinned. “She’s your favorite subject, man.”
Caspar sighed. Seth was right, they did get along once. And Adia was his favorite topic.
Dammit.
“Fine… she wants to run some trials on the efficacy of thyme for chronic cough…”
~*~
By the time he got back to the cabin, Adia was already curled up in bed and dozing off. He changed out of his red jumpsuit and slid under the covers, causing her to stir.
“How’d it go at the pub?” she murmured sleepily.
“It was fine,” Caspar replied, settling against the pillows so she could cuddle against him, but she didn’t move, simply looking at him curiously instead. “What?”
She smiled and rested her head against his chest. “Nothing,” she said, sighing deeply as she drifted back off to sleep.
He was about to fall asleep himself when she murmured playfully, “Just sounded like you really meant it that time.”
Glorified manual labor was nothing new to him. His model, more often than not, was responsible for the nitty gritty background work while the Ones and the Threes came up with the plans and the Sixes took all the glory. Well, the Ones were all dead and the Threes boxed up on a defunct resurrection hub, but there weren’t any Sixes working on the memorial. Just him and a team of human laborers.
And Seth. Goddamn Seth. The man had not let his guard down around him this entire time. It amused Caspar, but it annoyed him, too. He had to put up with every snide aside that oaf of a man tossed at him. They weren’t even that clever. Where was the fun in that?
But at least Seth talked to him. The rest of the humans gave him the cold shoulder. At first, anyway. A few talked to him amiably, but only in the context of work. Hey, Caspar, can you do this incredibly menial but physically difficult task for me? Thanks, buddy. It was like the Chiron all over again.
Whenever he fantasized about dropping whatever tool was in his hand and leaving all the hard work for some other sap, he reminded himself who he was doing this for — Adia. The more he got along with the humans on the island, the less conflict he generated for his girl. All he wanted out of life was to make her happy. If it meant seeing the memorial project to completion and not snapping back at Seth after the umpteenth insult, then so be it.
When all that was left to the memorial were a few decorative details, Seth called it a day and invited everyone to Town Hall to wind down. The building at the center of Atlantis served as a makeshift pub in the evening, a place for people to congregate and drink the homebrews popping up all over the island. Naturally, Caspar tried to get out of it, but Seth insisted. “Think of how happy you’ll make Adia, socializing with the humans,” he said smugly, and Caspar grit his teeth and followed along.
Despite not asking, someone handed him a drink — mead, from the smell of it, and that’s the only reason he took a sip, because it reminded him of Adia’s interest in beekeeping. It tasted only a shade better than the swill on New Caprica, but it was the least offensive thing about being stuck in a room with a bunch of inebriated humans. He decided to give himself a half-hour before leaving, which didn’t seem like it would be an issue. Aside from some initial small talk with his friendlier co-workers, no one was keeping him company.
When he got up from his seat, someone was blocking his exit.
It was… shit, what was that guy’s name. Ajax or Alex or something like that. He did some of the interior design work on memorial, but he’d never spoken to Caspar. The bigger man was glaring at him, his dark eyes narrowed in disgust.
“Excuse me,” Caspar said politely.
Alex smiled unpleasantly. “What’s the rush, Aaron? You didn’t finish your drink.”
Ah. Using the name of the most famous Five of all to get a rise out of him. Typical. “I think you’re confusing me with someone else, and I’m not very thirsty.” He waved his hand to the side. “Now, if you don’t mind…?”
“Nah, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t matter what the frak I call you. You’re all the same.” Alex took a stumbling step forward into Caspar’s space, reeking of cheap liquor. “Acting like you’re better than everyone else. Pretending that you didn’t try to kill all of us a couple months ago.”
Caspar kept his expression perfectly neutral. He could hear the sounds of conversation around him fading into whispers. They had an audience.
“How’s it feel to build a memorial for the people you killed? You like looking at the names? Does it get you off?”
Caspar tightened his jaw and said nothing.
Alex’s fake smile curled into an nasty leer. “You aren’t even one of the good Cylons. The only reason you’re here is because your girlfriend has a fetish for toaster dick —“
Caspar’s hand lashed out and caught Alex by the throat. In an instant, he had the man’s head slammed against the nearest counter, his body pinned against the edge by Caspar’s other arm. Alex struggled, but his bigger size was no advantage against Caspar’s sheer strength.
“Hey.” Caspar shifted his grip so he could lean down and speak into the other man’s ear. “It looks like we have ourselves a problem, Alexander. You can say whatever the frak you want about me, but the second you bring Adia into this? Things are going to get real ugly, real fast. So I’m going to suggest you re-evaluate that line of conversation. Hmm?”
Alex choked out what sounded like a sob, his eyes watering. Caspar’s hand tightened a little around his windpipe, a reminder of what he was capable of, before he let go completely and stepped away.
The room was dead silent.
Seth came storming over, but to Caspar’s surprise, it was Alex that he grabbed, hoisting the man from the table and dragging him to the door. “You need to go home and sleep off whatever stupid juice made you do that,” he told him. Alex rubbed his throat and tried to cough out a reply, but Seth shook his head. “No, shut up. Go home.”
He gave him a good shove out the door and yelled after him, “And don’t let Maggie catch you talking shit about Adia or she’ll kill you for real!”
The room remained silent while Seth dusted off his hands. He took a good look around before sighing loudly. “Okay, we all saw that Alex was being a giant asshole and got what he deserved by trying to start a fight. We all saw that. Right?”
Most of the other bar-goers murmured their assent. Show over, they stopped staring at Caspar and resumed their conversations and card games, filling the room with its usual laughter and light-hearted conversation.
The cold, sharp fury that Caspar had only a moment ago melted into awkwardness. He turned toward the door again but Seth put a hand on his shoulder. “You and I,” he said, gesturing to the table he had vacated, “Are going to have a talk.”
Caspar gave him a sour look but sat down anyway.
Seth straddled the chair across from him, fixing him with a critical stare. “Do you realize that there is a an entire spectrum of ways to respond to someone being a dick to you? You have more options than standing there and taking it or going full psycho.”
He only got a brief glare for his trouble before Caspar looked away petulantly.
“You weren’t like this on the Chiron,” Seth pointed out. “Where’s all that sarcastic wit you’re so famous for? Is this your own personal problem, or some sort of Five behavior that’s only coming out now?”
“Considering I’m the only one left, I guess that’s going to be a goddamn mystery!” Caspar snapped back, not the least bit gracious about Seth saving his ass.
Then Seth surprised him for a second time that night. He leaned against the table and laughed, a full-on belly laugh that went on for several seconds. “There you go, man! How come you’ve been holding back on me?”
Caspar let out a huff in frustration. “Why’d you take my side?” he countered, ignoring the question. “You having a change a heart about me?”
Seth’s smile disappeared, replaced with disappointment. “As a matter of fact, I already have. I can’t stay angry at someone who makes Adia that happy.” He pointed a finger at Caspar’s chest. “But you haven’t made it easy. You don’t say anything to anyone, walking around with that bitchy expression on your face.”
“Excuse me?” Caspar asked, agitated, but Seth started laughing again.
“You’re making it right now! C’mon, man.” He tapped at Caspar’s glass, half-full of fermented honey. “We used to get along, back on the Chiron. Finish your drink and talk to me.”
Despite the extended olive branch, Caspar had to fight back his impulse to stand up and storm out.
“You can tell me what Adia has been up to.” Seth grinned. “She’s your favorite subject, man.”
Caspar sighed. Seth was right, they did get along once. And Adia was his favorite topic.
Dammit.
“Fine… she wants to run some trials on the efficacy of thyme for chronic cough…”
~*~
By the time he got back to the cabin, Adia was already curled up in bed and dozing off. He changed out of his red jumpsuit and slid under the covers, causing her to stir.
“How’d it go at the pub?” she murmured sleepily.
“It was fine,” Caspar replied, settling against the pillows so she could cuddle against him, but she didn’t move, simply looking at him curiously instead. “What?”
She smiled and rested her head against his chest. “Nothing,” she said, sighing deeply as she drifted back off to sleep.
He was about to fall asleep himself when she murmured playfully, “Just sounded like you really meant it that time.”
