The shuttle flew smoothly through space. The crew and her passengers were completely unaware of any danger outside. All seemed to be normal—empty space as far as the eye could see, no reason to be concerned—none at all.

That all changed within the space of a heartbeat. The smooth progression of the shuttle was brought up short when it smashed into an invisible barrier which surrounded the pastoral planet below.

The nose of the craft crumpled and stuck, creating a nearly ludicrous spectacle for the rescue party to marvel at. The shuttle remained glued up against the invisible planetary shield, immobile. Remarkably, the hull retained integrity, allowing for the survival of the passengers. They received nothing more than a good shaking and a mild fright. But the pilots... oh, the pilots.

 


"What the frack?" Apollo blinked, looking about him in complete bewilderment. The shuttle was gone, replaced by... well. He blinked again. It seemed he was in some form of irridescent bubble. When he looked directly at it, the bubble allowed a clear view of the glittering depths of space. When he turned his eyes aside, so he wasn't looking directly at it, the bubble shimmered with a rainbow of luminosity. How bizarre.

More bizarre yet was the interior of the bubble. He rested upon a mound of pillows, satin and velvet, and other rich fabrics he couldn't quite put a name to. A satin sheet draped across him slithered aside when he moved, leading to the discovery that his uniform had gone the way of the shuttle. Beside him, Starbuck sat up with a startled exclamation.

"What the frack!" He looked around in bewildered amazement.

"That's about what I said, old buddy." Apollo noted that Starbuck was wearing as little as he was and returned his attention to the amazing starscape. Hopefully the odd glow wasn't enough to illuminate his blush clearly...

"What in hell is happening here?"

"Allow me to explain," a disembodied voice spoke up. Both men searched frantically for the source, but were unable to locate any presence in the bubble save their own. "I am the Wish Fulfillment Fairy, at your service."

They looked at each other. Wish Fulfillment Fairy? Starbuck shrugged, and Apollo shook his head.

"Your bodies are... temporarily out of order," the voice continued, a hint of amused regret in his—its?—tone. "But the pair of you have provided such exemplary service to mankind that some concessions have been made. I have been granted license to fulfill some of your wishes, hence your current environment. Make the most of the time you have, because once your bodies are repaired, you must return to them at once."

"Wait a minute... fulfill our wishes?" Apollo shot an incredulous glance at their surroundings.

"Indeed." There was an amused chuckle. "Both of you have spent an inordinate amount of time wishing for an opportunity such as this. So please, do take advantage of it, while it lasts. Goodbye, now."

The voice went quiet. After another moment of fruitless searching for the source of the voice, Apollo turned to Starbuck. "So... is it true?"

The fair skin did nothing to hide the faint blush creeping across his cheekbones. "Um... that the voice is gone? Yeah, I think so." He kept his gaze focused on the starscape.

Apollo snorted. "That's not what I meant, and you know it." A wry grin tugged at his lips.

"Well... what the hell." Starbuck shrugged and turned to face his best friend, this time not hiding his appreciation for the naked athletic body sprawled beside him. "Since he said 'both of us'... yes, it's true. And you?"

"Oh yes," Apollo sighed. He reached out, somewhat alarmed to find his hand trembling a bit, and ran it over Starbuck's chest.

"In that case, what are we waiting for?" Starbuck smiled and captured Apollo's hand, raising it to his lips to kiss the palm. Apollo sighed. Then they were in each other's arms, lips locked together and hands exploring with tender passion.

Apollo was conscious of the smallest things—the way his fingertips tingled when he ran them down Starbuck's back, the way the slide of satin against his skin served to excite him further, the spicy taste of Starbuck... the feel of Starbuck's hands, all over his body—truly the fulfillment of some of his dearest wishes.

"Apollo..." Starbuck groaned, voice strained with need. "Why did we wait so long?"

Apollo raised his mouth from a nipple and transferred his attention to an earlobe. "Don't know. Now shut up and love me."

"By your command..." the throaty growl sent shivers racing through Apollo. Starbuck fastened his lips to Apollo's neck, nipping and sucking, while his hands...

"Oh no—something's gone terribly wrong!" The frantic voice of the Wish Fulfillment Fairy was the last thing they heard before the bubble exploded into brittle rainbow shards and the world vanished into a roaring white light.

 


Apollo sat up slowly. His head began pounding with an insistant fury. He blinked his eyes open and managed to focus them. The first thing he saw was Dr. Salik's worried face. He grunted. For some reason, that was the last thing he'd expected to see, and a dreadful disappointment.

"Doctor. What happened?"

"You were in an accident," Salik replied. "There was a shield around the planet, an impregnable one. Do you remember?"

He blinked and rubbed his forehead. He remembered... Starbuck. Iridescent rainbows. A wish fulfilled, only to be snatched from his grasp... he shook his head, then instantly regretted it when the pain increased dramatically.

"No, no—I don't remember anything." He pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes, relieving some of the pressure. "Starbuck?"

Salik smiled. "Over there."

Apollo glanced over towards his lover. Wait a minute... not lover, he'd never... hellfires. He looked at his best friend and was relieved to see that Starbuck looked better than he felt. He was sitting upright in another bed, in what Apollo suddenly discovered was the Life Center.

"Good going, Captain," Starbuck grinned. It was weak and wobbly, but it was a real grin. Something intense burned in the imponderable blue depths of his eyes, and then it was gone.

"What do you mean, good going?" Apollo growled, but with a smile.

"It takes real talent to run into nothing." Now his eyes shone with wicked amusement.

"Yeah, yeah—and you can kiss my—" Apollo broke off and glanced at the doctor. Oops. The word kiss triggered some pleasant associations—memories? Nah, wasn't possible. But he felt a smile curving his lips anyway. "Doctor," he said, dropping the silly grin, "how long were we out?"

"Approximately half a centare. You were both unusually resistant to our attempts at revival."

"Doesn't surprise me," Starbuck chuckled. He shot Apollo a glance that instantly heated his blood several degrees.

"Me either." Apollo struggled to regain control of himself and returned his attention to the doctor—again. He made a conscious effort to keep his eyes on Salik this time, a sight that was guaranteed to cure any wayward desires. "Are we good to go?"

"I don't see why not."

Apollo was off the bed like a shot. True, his head was pounding, but he was experiencing a burning desire to talk to Starbuck... alone.

Starbuck followed him out of the Life Center, then turned to head for the barracks.

"Hey."

At the sound of Apollo's voice, he turned with a smile. "Hey what?"

"C'mon, want to talk to you..." Apollo stopped, unsure of what exactly he wanted to say.

"About that... feeling?" Starbuck's voice rippled with amusement.

"The one that... yeah." Apollo smiled and licked his lips, almost unconsciously. They made their way to Apollo's quarters in a silence that was less uneasy and more... expectant.

Apollo keyed his door open and stepped inside, followed closely by his friend. Once the door hissed shut behind them, Apollo stopped in his tracks and twisted around quickly to face Starbuck, so quickly he nearly lost his balance, with his head balooning in pain. He rubbed at his forehead, even as Starbuck caught at his arms to steady him.

"You okay?" Starbuck held onto him, hands supportive and gentle.

"Yeah—killer headache, but other than that—" Apollo took his hand away from his head and smiled into those brilliant blue eyes, so close now to his own. "Now, about that feeling..."

"You mean the one that says we were somewhere other than a crashed shuttle?" Starbuck's hands slipped around him, drawing him into a loose embrace, one he could break free of easily if he chose. But breaking free was the farthest thing from his mind.

Apollo smiled, feeling the headache replaced with a tingling warmth. He slipped his arms around Starbuck, swaying closer against his lover's—no, friend's—no, dammit—lover's body. "And doing something that both of us have been wishing for?"

Their lips met. Apollo pressed eagerly into Starbuck, more certain now than ever that this was right.

They broke apart a long centon later, both rather flushed and smiling. "I think there's still something not quite right here," Starbuck said.

"Oh?" Apollo kissed him again, delighting in the feel of his intoxicating lips. "And what would that be?"

"Too many clothes," Starbuck murmured. The vibrations of his voice sent thrills racing through Apollo, completely overshadowing the remains of his headache. His hands slipped into Apollo's uniform, undoing fastenings with care.

Apollo agreed. He wriggled free of his uniform quickly, with a broad grin of appreciation for the sight of Starbuck stripping as well. Then he backed towards his bed, hands extended, with an enticing smile. "Join me?"

Starbuck dropped his uniform in an untidy heap and glided across the floor with a grace that made Apollo's blood heat several more degrees. "Of course." He embraced the Captain, lowering the other man carefully to the bed, then sliding on top of him. "It's like a wish come true..."

"Yes, it is indeed..."

And then there was no need for further words.

 

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