Apollo was working late again. He couldn't help it, there was no one else qualified to do the job- not even Starbuck wanted to take on creating order from chaos, in the form of drawing up a comprehensive plan for attack on the Cylons.

Apollo became aware that he was smiling. That had happened to him an awful lot today- must have been a side effect of last night. His smile broadened. What a night that had been, all hot and-

A noise alerted him that he had a visitor. "Starbuck?" he said, raising his eyes from his desk.

A soft chuckle came from the shadows behind him. "Not quite."

Apollo was out of his chair, laser drawn, before he'd consciously recognized Zymand's voice.

"Now, now- what do you have that out for? Put it away, dear boy- I only want to talk." Zymand smiled insolently at him.

"We have nothing to talk about. You have to leave." Apollo held the pistol steady.

"But dear Apollo, I had a message to deliver to you. Don't you wish to hear it?"

"I wish for you to leave. Now." Apollo nodded towards the door. "There's the door. Now go."

"So hasty... Starbuck wanted me to tell you he's enjoying my hospitality... Unh!"

Apollo slammed Zymand against the wall again, for good measure. He'd crossed the room in a flash, before he really knew what Zymand was saying. "What have you done with him?"

"Now that's the Apollo I remember," Zymand choked out, around Apollo's tight grip on his throat.

Apollo checked his urge to pound on that insolent face and reached for his communicator. "Starbuck! You there?" He continued to pin the other man with one hand. There was no response.

"Starbuck! Answer me- are you there?"

Still no answer.

"Tell me what you did to him, you lousy bastard! Tell me!"

"Urk... glarg...!"

Apollo loosened his hold a bit.

"My... so vehement... Major," Zymand croaked.

Apollo removed the safety on his laser with a loud click and placed it against Zymand's left temple. "You have three seconds. One... two..."

"Am I interrupting something?" Starbuck's amused voice broke into Apollo's countdown.

"Starbuck!" Apollo didn't look away from his captive. "All right, Zymand- what the frack is going on here?"

"No... comment..."

Apollo gave him a disgusted look. "Starbuck, is that really you?"

"Of course it is, Pol. Were you expecting someone else?"

"I don't know what I'm expecting, at this point. Would you turn the lights on, and come round where I can see you without looking away from this asshole?"

"Sure thing, Pol." The main overhead lights flicked on, flooding the room with an eerie blue-white glow. Starbuck stepped into Apollo's field of view with his own laser at the ready.

Zymand made a peculiar whimpering noise. Apollo snapped his attention away from Starbuck to watch his ex-lover. "What's gotten into you, Zy?"

"Help me," Zymand said. Tears welled up in his eyes. "Please... help me."

"What the hell?" Starbuck frowned.

"You were in my camp! I swear, I put you away myself! How can you be here? Troy was guarding you!"

"I think he's lost it," Apollo said, in a tone of horrified fascination.

"I think you're right," Starbuck replied. He put his laser away. "The man asked for help. Shall I call someone, and have him taken to a nice private cell?"

"With lots of padding," Apollo agreed. He let his own laser fall away and stared at Zymand's vacant eyes, filled with pity. Zy had been a great man once, filled with pride and ambition, and a mind to put others to shame. What had happened to reduce him to this state?

Starbuck spoke quietly into his communicator and two of his pilots appeared quickly. They escorted Zymand off towards the lockup, while Apollo stared after them in stunned disbelief.

"Tell me, Pol- do you regret losing him?"

"Huh?" Apollo shook his head to clear it. "Losing him? Star, you can't be serious." He turned away from the door to face his lover.

"Come on, Pol- just tell me!"

Apollo stifled a grin with difficulty. Jealous, huh? That's kind of cute. "I'm the one who broke it off, you know. He may be attractive and full of life, but dear Zymand is also one possesive, dominating bastard. Want to know what the final straw was?"

Starbuck nodded, eyes fixed on Apollo's face.

"He tried to get me to quit seeing you." Apollo grinned. "Fat chance- as if I'd ever give up my best friend for anything, especially some possesive dirtsider who had more arrogance and ambition than Baltar."

"For me, huh?" A thoughtful look clouded Starbuck's eyes. "And then he tried to trash your career."

"Yeah. Look, could we not talk about this?" Apollo stepped closer to Starbuck, sliding his arms around him. "There's other things I'd rather talk about..."

"Hmm..." Starbuck smiled slowly, leaning in close for a kiss. "I think you talk too much."

"Well," Apollo found it rather difficult to breathe, for some reason. "I'd rather just throw you over my shoulder and haul you off to bed, but that's not really an option."

Starbuck laughed, twining his fingers through Apollo's hair. "I don't suppose that would be an option, old man."

"Grrr!" Apollo nipped Starbuck's neck. "Old man, indeed!"

"There is, however, another option," Starbuck panted. Apollo noted with interest how much he liked being bitten.

"Yes?" Apollo worked his hands under Starbuck's jacket.

"I could go back to your room willingly, and then we could... um..." Starbuck blushed. "Um..."

"Engage in some wild extra-curricular activities?" Apollo grinned. Perhaps Starbuck wasn't quite as worldly and confident as he'd always seemed.

"Something like that. Frack, Pol- after what happened last night, it hardly seems right to just say 'we could fuck each other's brains out!'"

The grin dropped off Apollo's face, to be replaced immediately by a look of wonder. "You have a point there, my Bucko," he said quietly, staring at those familiar eyes so close to his own. "So let's go to my room, and attempt to recreate the most wonderful night of my life."

"Your life, huh?" The eerie blue of the lights made Starbuck's eyes glow as he smiled slowly. "What about mine?"

Apollo realized that all those poets and authors were right- it really was possible to drown in someone's eyes. Starbuck kissed him with tender passion. Apollo closed his eyes and forgot everything but Starbuck.

It ended all too soon when Starbuck pulled away. "Let's go, Pol." He ran a gentle finger over Apollo's face. "It really isn't all that comfortable in here."

Apollo nodded mutely and followed Starbuck out of the room. His legs threatened to give way on him after that last kiss. But he made it to his room, with Starbuck's willing support.

The door had barely closed behind them when Apollo found himself with a double armful of Starbuck. He clutched the other man desperately, burning with a matching passion. Starbuck's lips on his sent rivers of fire through his veins, running to a central point located in his groin. He licked and sucked urgently at his lover's lips, tongue, neck... dizzy with the scent and taste of Starbuck, hands full of Starbuck... He gasped when his hands unexpectedly encountered bare flesh. He sank willingly to the floor, helping Starbuck undo his troublesome shirt so their naked skins could touch and fuel the flames that were already threatening to consume him.

"Lose the pants, Pol," Starbuck panted in his ear. He made an effort, cursing his own awkwardness as the pants tangled. Then he got them off and returned his attention to Starbuck, naked as well and waiting for him.

"Starbuck..." he breathed, the name taking on the sound of a prayer. Then he was kissing, licking... tasting the nearly spicy taste that said Starbuck... nibbling, hearing the groans of pleasure as he nipped a shoulder, just under a nipple, a soft flank, an inner thigh... He buried his face between Starbuck's legs, breathing in the unique scent, flicking his tongue out to tickle the sensitive balls, licking and sucking and...

"Pol! Oh, Lords... Pol!"

Apollo couldn't stop, had to keep sucking and licking... couldn't even spare a hand for his own throbbing dick, had to have them both on Starbuck- he felt that Starbuck was about to come, could feel the extra heat and tension and the way his balls jumped...

"Apollo!"

He felt the spurting against the back of his mouth and swallowed as much as he could, learning the distinctive taste, feeling the overflow run down his chin... Then Starbuck stretched a hand down between Apollo's legs and Apollo lost it, shooting a hot stream all over Starbuck's hand at that touch.

He collapsed weakly on Starbuck's hip, allowing the still-twitching dick to fall from his mouth. He panted for breath, feeling the fire inside slowly die down to a mellow glow. He raised a hand heavy with the aftermath of orgasm to wipe his face clean and smiled.

"Hmmmmm....."

"I agree..." Starbuck languidly stroked Apollo's hair. "That was... amazing."

"Oh, yes," Apollo murmured.

"But Pol..."

"Mmm?"

"Your floor is cold."

Apollo mustered up the energy for a tired chuckle. "That's all you can say? The floor is cold?"

"Well, it is." Starbuck's hand teased at his hair, pulling gently. "You're not, though. You're very hot."

"Mmm... so are you." Apollo made a supreme effort, succeeded in raising his head. "Bed?"

"Yeah." Starbuck pushed himself up off the floor with his arms. Apollo reluctantly sat up as well, still dizzy from the intensity of his orgasm. They staggered together towards the bed, having encounters with hostile items of furniture along the way.

"The good thing about this bed," Apollo said, around a cavernous yawn, "is that it's so small it encourages cuddling."

Starbuck obligingly snuggled closer. "G'night, Pol..."

"Sweet dreams." Apollo smiled as he dropped into a deep, dreamless sleep.