Work Text:
Fifth Time
Helo’s smiling goofily at the girl, a blonde whose name Boomer doesn’t remember. She never troubles to learn their names, since Helo never keeps them around long enough for her to bother. Starbuck calls them all “Candy” and either Helo hasn’t figured out why, or he’s too polite to tell her that pots shouldn’t insult kettles. Boomer’s used to it, watching him wander over to watch a fight on the screen in a bar, and having every female in the place suddenly develop an interest in what round and who is winning. It works on Galactica, too, but Helo’s scrupulous about not frakking around on the ship. He makes up for it on shore leave.
He always keeps them happy, too. They never get mad at him for leaving, and he’s been invited to a lot of their weddings. CAG says that he’s there to give the brides an escape hatch, but Boomer thinks that he’s probably more like a warning to the grooms.
It’s fun for her to watch him make a conquest. He tilts his head to the side and stares into their eyes, talking in that voice of his. His signature move is in evidence right now; Helo’s gone for the win, wrapping his big hand around the girl’s cheek and leaning in for a kiss. And she’s definitely enthusiastic, this one. Starbuck giggles beside her. “Do you think she’ll swallow his face, or leave some for later?”
Boomer yelps her laugh, and Helo stops kissing and turns his head. He knows when she’s laughing at him, and he winks slowly and goes back to what he was doing, sliding his fingers onto the nape of the girl’s neck.
She misses the Chief. They were supposed to meet up on this leave and spend three days in a hotel room, but something technical and extremely complicated happened to the Commander’s shuttle and Tyrol was stuck. Sharon offered to stay, but as he pointed out, engine grease and an audience was going to give them away sooner or later. Better for her to go down to Picon with the rest of the pilots and blow off some steam, keep Starbuck out of jail.
Helo stands up as the girl runs off toward the bathroom. He’s wearing a decent amount of her lipstick, but it shows less than it might, since Helo has the pinkest, girliest-colored lips Boomer’s ever seen on a man. All the same, she makes the gesture, and used to their code, Helo swipes at his mouth as her thumb wipes over her own.
He comes over to her, and as Starbuck opens her mouth to say something, Helo points his index finger at her and frowns, and Kara shuts up. Someday Boomer wants to know how he does that. It never works when anyone else does it.
“You two mind if I leave for a while?” Helo’s half smiling, and stays that way, even when Starbuck says, “In the alley?”
“She’s a nice girl, Starbuck.”
They’re always nice girls.
Candy returns from the bathroom and Helo weaves through the tables to meet her. She takes two running steps and jumps into his arms. Helo lifts her effortlessly and carries her toward the door and Boomer is suddenly gripped with a desire to be held that way, to have a relationship that’s not complicated and illegal, to leap into Chief’s arms and be his in front of everyone. Maybe Helo’s way is better- he never seems to long for what he can’t have. He never seems to want anything, either, just accepts what he has and keeps on being Helo.
Boomer pours herself another drink.