Little Ficlet
Nov. 26th, 2008 07:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lls_mutantTitle: How I Met My Boyfriend's Father Figure
Summary: I had to quick write this. It's more of a scene than an actual fic. But I really, really wanted to write Gaeta introducing Tom and Hoshi. So I did.
Hoshi looked around. Tom Zarek had such a name and reputation around the Fleet that he'd expected his quarters to be a little more… extravagant. Like he'd take advantage of his position, and at least have some of the nice things. But the only nod to any sort of luxury was the comforter on the bed; the rest of the room was sparsely furnished and quite depressing.
Felix and Zarek were talking easily. There was a shorthand between them in their conversation, a connection that Hoshi had known existed but never seen. Felix had once ranted to him that Dee was convinced that he was blind when it came to Zarek, only seeing what he wanted to see. After five minutes of watching them together, Hoshi could say with certainty that Dee was right. He sighed bitterly. She usually was.
"What do you think, Lucas?" Felix asked him, and Hoshi snapped out of his own thoughts with a start.
"I think it's certainly a valid possibility, yes," he said, although he wasn't sure what it was. Oh, right, Kobol, now that Earth had turned out to be such a… he bit his lip, fiercely chasing his mind away from that thought. "But there's still the matter of the Cylons to deal with. If we go back there, they'll find us. And that's really the problem, isn't it? There's any number of habitable planets, but wherever we settle, it's just a matter of time before the Cylons find us again."
Felix and Zarek exchanged glances, having an entire conversation in two seconds without saying a word. And even though no one had said it, the name New Caprica hung in the air. But Zarek turned back to Hoshi. "Are you suggesting, Lieutenant, that we form an alliance with the Cylons?"
Hoshi snorted. "Look how well that turned out last time," he scoffed. "I don't think the Cylons as a race are capable of an alliance. And even if I trusted certain models, I'd never trust most of the others."
Zarek grinned, and Hoshi felt like he passed some sort of test. And it kind of alarmed him that it pleased him.
Felix stood up, reaching for his crutches. "If you will excuse me for a moment," he said, and headed off. He touched Hoshi lightly on the shoulder as he passed.
Zarek and Hoshi watched him go, and then an awkward silence descended over both of them. And suddenly, Hoshi understood exactly why he was feeling so out of sorts. He laughed. "I know this sounds strange," he said awkwardly, "but I've heard Felix talk about you, and I know how he feels about you. And I feel like a kid meeting his boyfriend's father for the first time."
Something in that pinged Zarek; Hoshi could see it in his face. But he just laughed and said, "I guess I should be threatening you with a shotgun then, huh?" he asked. "Telling you that if you hurt him, I will kill you?" The tone was light, but the threat was real. Hoshi's blood burned, because now he felt like he was on solid ground again.
"I won't hurt him," he promised. He took a sip of wine and looked at Zarek evenly. "The thing is," he began, "I'm not a kid, I'm over forty. And you're not my boyfriend's father, although I'm not going to deny you're close. But I know who you are, I know what you can do, and I know that you'd have no compunctions about using Felix if it fit your plans. If you hurt him, the same threat stands. I will kill you."
"If it ever comes to that, you'd be welcome to try," Zarek said, unruffled. "I hope it never does." He lifted his glass in acknowledgment and toast, and then drank. Hoshi did the same. "But until then, Lucas, can we count you in?"
Hoshi nodded. "You'd better believe it."
Summary: I had to quick write this. It's more of a scene than an actual fic. But I really, really wanted to write Gaeta introducing Tom and Hoshi. So I did.
Hoshi looked around. Tom Zarek had such a name and reputation around the Fleet that he'd expected his quarters to be a little more… extravagant. Like he'd take advantage of his position, and at least have some of the nice things. But the only nod to any sort of luxury was the comforter on the bed; the rest of the room was sparsely furnished and quite depressing.
Felix and Zarek were talking easily. There was a shorthand between them in their conversation, a connection that Hoshi had known existed but never seen. Felix had once ranted to him that Dee was convinced that he was blind when it came to Zarek, only seeing what he wanted to see. After five minutes of watching them together, Hoshi could say with certainty that Dee was right. He sighed bitterly. She usually was.
"What do you think, Lucas?" Felix asked him, and Hoshi snapped out of his own thoughts with a start.
"I think it's certainly a valid possibility, yes," he said, although he wasn't sure what it was. Oh, right, Kobol, now that Earth had turned out to be such a… he bit his lip, fiercely chasing his mind away from that thought. "But there's still the matter of the Cylons to deal with. If we go back there, they'll find us. And that's really the problem, isn't it? There's any number of habitable planets, but wherever we settle, it's just a matter of time before the Cylons find us again."
Felix and Zarek exchanged glances, having an entire conversation in two seconds without saying a word. And even though no one had said it, the name New Caprica hung in the air. But Zarek turned back to Hoshi. "Are you suggesting, Lieutenant, that we form an alliance with the Cylons?"
Hoshi snorted. "Look how well that turned out last time," he scoffed. "I don't think the Cylons as a race are capable of an alliance. And even if I trusted certain models, I'd never trust most of the others."
Zarek grinned, and Hoshi felt like he passed some sort of test. And it kind of alarmed him that it pleased him.
Felix stood up, reaching for his crutches. "If you will excuse me for a moment," he said, and headed off. He touched Hoshi lightly on the shoulder as he passed.
Zarek and Hoshi watched him go, and then an awkward silence descended over both of them. And suddenly, Hoshi understood exactly why he was feeling so out of sorts. He laughed. "I know this sounds strange," he said awkwardly, "but I've heard Felix talk about you, and I know how he feels about you. And I feel like a kid meeting his boyfriend's father for the first time."
Something in that pinged Zarek; Hoshi could see it in his face. But he just laughed and said, "I guess I should be threatening you with a shotgun then, huh?" he asked. "Telling you that if you hurt him, I will kill you?" The tone was light, but the threat was real. Hoshi's blood burned, because now he felt like he was on solid ground again.
"I won't hurt him," he promised. He took a sip of wine and looked at Zarek evenly. "The thing is," he began, "I'm not a kid, I'm over forty. And you're not my boyfriend's father, although I'm not going to deny you're close. But I know who you are, I know what you can do, and I know that you'd have no compunctions about using Felix if it fit your plans. If you hurt him, the same threat stands. I will kill you."
"If it ever comes to that, you'd be welcome to try," Zarek said, unruffled. "I hope it never does." He lifted his glass in acknowledgment and toast, and then drank. Hoshi did the same. "But until then, Lucas, can we count you in?"
Hoshi nodded. "You'd better believe it."
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no subject
Date: 2008-11-26 01:56 pm (UTC)Cute ficlet. Loving your work.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-26 01:59 pm (UTC)Yeah, the guy who plays Hoshi is 41. It kind of shocked me, because I didn't think he looked that old. And then it dawned on me that my husband is 40, and so to me, 41 isn't that old. But yeah, there's a good 10-12 year difference between them!
I wouldn't mind seeing a Hoshi/Tom showdown in canon, because I think that if this was canon, it WOULD come to that ;)
no subject
Date: 2008-11-26 06:18 pm (UTC)I like this scene a lot. It's so nicely domestic. Hoshi and Zarek find common ground, and I like the way Hoshi makes that statement about not being a kid. It says a lot about what kind of a person he is. And that he's not stupid either. I hope he'll be a bit like that in the webisodes (I hope they'll give him a character in the webisodes!).
no subject
Date: 2008-11-26 07:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-26 07:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-01 02:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-01 07:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-01 09:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-01 05:02 am (UTC)First of all, you are guilty of making me like Mr. Hoshi more and more as you continue to write him. He was very sweet in your Ten Things fic, but I like how he has a bit of a bite to him in this one. Watching him go toe-to-toe with Zarek on Felix's behalf was just so satisfying because that is expressly what we haven't seen anyone on screen do for him. Btw, random thing, but your description of Zarek's quarters intrigued me. It made me wonder if they were that way because he was used to so many years of a drab, sparse cell, or because Roslin treats him like crap.
Secondly, it was fascinating to hear Hoshi (who never gets any lines, EVER) have such a strong opinion on anything (I mean the Cylon issue, not hurting Felix, heh). In just a few lines, you've managed to give our poor ignored Mr. Hoshi far more character development than the show has ever given him. Also, I liked how he so easily saw through Zarek, although I have to admit that there was a little moment of sad for me to think of Hoshi deciding behind his lover's back that he's kind of naive and blind. There was such a great charge to their conversation while Felix was out of the room, but it felt a bit like the kid had been sent out of the room and now the adults could finally talk freely. :p
Finally, I loved the line about Hoshi being alarmed at how pleased he was to have "passed the test". It speaks to Zarek's oily charm, and maybe helps you understand Felix's affection for and belief in this man who might one day manipulate and use him with no compunction.
And just generally speaking, this is a fascinating speculation on how Zarek and Felix will react in Season 4.5 to "Frak Earth".
no subject
Date: 2008-12-01 07:48 pm (UTC)ut I like how he has a bit of a bite to him in this one
In my head, Hoshi is the real bitch queen of Galactica :) I'm really looking forward to writing writing the Dee-Hoshi fic, because man, at the beginning he REALLY does not like her. Heh.
It made me wonder if they were that way because he was used to so many years of a drab, sparse cell, or because Roslin treats him like crap.
Partly what he's used to, and partly the way I read Zarek. I do think Zarek is corrupt, but I don't think his corruption extends to material things. I don't think you could blackmail Zarek by offering him items. I think his corruption is entirely power-based, and if he had to sleep on the floor and wear rags but got to run the world they way he wanted, he'd be perfectly fine with that. I believe that Tom totally believes in what he preaches- he's just willing to use some exceedingly questionable means to achieve his ideals.
But there's more to it, too, in that Hoshi is coming from Battlestars. For those people, their ship has been their home, and for the past however many years of service, their possessions have been largely regulation and with them all the time. Hoshi probably lost everything but the clothes off his back when he had to evacuate the Pegasus, but he went onto the Galactica and was still very much in the life he had.
A lot of the rest of the Fleet, however, survived by chance, and a lot of them probably don't own much. Especially someone like Tom, who spent pre-NC on a prison ship, and then went to New Caprica and probably lost a lot of what he'd accumulated there during the Exodus. So I think Tom's quarters reflect a lot what is common throughout the Fleet- that a lot of people don't have much. But I do like the idea of Tom having a soft, fluffy comforter for his bed :)
Also, I liked how he so easily saw through Zarek, although I have to admit that there was a little moment of sad for me to think of Hoshi deciding behind his lover's back that he's kind of naive and blind.
I think he's right, though, at least in my universe ;) When Gaeta makes up his mind one way or the other, he makes it up hard. In my head Hoshi doesn't really think less of him for that, but he is aware of it, and I think in some ways even admires it. Hoshi was awfully loyal to Cain there, wasn't he? (I have to rewatch some of the Pegasus episodes, I think.) It would be interesting if they had that same trait in common, really.
, but it felt a bit like the kid had been sent out of the room and now the adults could finally talk freely. :p
Heh, I got the same feeling. Especially when I realized how much older Hoshi is than Gaeta! Cradle robber! :)
And just generally speaking, this is a fascinating speculation on how Zarek and Felix will react in Season 4.5 to "Frak Earth".
Thanks :) I have a feeling that might be a lot of what this is about, and why they join forces. I'll actually be kind of sad if I'm wrong, because the idea makes so much sense. ::sigh:: I just hope that the powers that be aren't really cruel and make Hoshi on Adama's side and Gaeta on Zarek's and by the end of the webisodes they're broken up or something sad like that. I'm pretty prepared for one or the other or both to die, but come on- let's let them have a few minutes of happiness! (I mean that more than figuratively!)
This is so Random
Date: 2008-12-04 02:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-20 02:27 am (UTC)