Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

Chapter One: Running Into Eachother

Wolffe wasn't very happy. Stomping down the halls of the Cruiser, he headed towards the hangar bay, cursing under his breath. Everything had gone wrong today, and Boost managing to damage a gunship when he was supposed to be fixing it wasn't helping.

"I'm sorry, sir! Really! I accidentally pulled the wrong plug, that's all," Boost's voice said over the comm.

"How!?"

"...I pulled the wrong plug...?"

"Boost, I swear I will-!" Wolffe was going to threaten to give Boost a demerit and scream how tired he was of him always going off half cocked when he was cut off by over a dozen holopads smacking into his plasteroid armor, along with the body of the one carrying them. "Hey, watch it!" he wasn't exactly shouting, but his voice was pretty loud and angry.

"S-sorry," was the timid apology. Wolffe started when he heard it, then winced and cursed himself silently. It was a female voice, and he could see the woman it came from.

He couldn't help thinking she was beautiful. She was about his age (or more like the age he was accelerated to be), maybe a little younger, and had pitch black hair with a turquoise blue streak, sky blue eyes, and fair skin. Her whole body posture spoke of submissiveness, timidness, shyness, and complete embarrassment as she bent and struggled to pick up the holopads with fumbling, sweaty hands.

He took a deep breath, trying to force the characteristic gruffness out of his voice and his anger out of his emotions. It wasn't her fault his life sucked at the moment and he felt guilty for taking it out on her. "I'm sorry for snapping at you," he sighed again and awkwardly rubbed the back of his helmeted head, sticking his hand under his helmet as he did so. He wasn't taking it off. He didn't want to frighten the poor thing any more than his nexu temper had with his lack of one eye. "Bad day. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. Here, let me help." Bending down, he grabbed a couple of holopads and neatly stacked them up while she kept struggled to fit them all in her arms.

"Thanks," she said in a soft voice that sounded like it had the potential for far more power. She kept fumbling around and trying to hold them all. They kept falling out in the middle and then the whole bundle would crash. She kept making an "ugh!" sound and muttering under her breath.

"...I don't think that's gonna work..." he pointed out in a soft tone.

She appeared even more flustered and embarrassed.

Taking charge, which was what he was best at, he gently took the holopads from her arms and stacked them in neat, ordered lines next to the ones he already had stacked. "If you don't mind, it would probably be best if I stacked them up here and then figured out a way for you to efficiently carry them," he said in much the same tone he used to get things done with his men, only not so gruff and commanding. His men all respected and trusted him despite his rough exterior, but they were obviously harder in personality than this woman, so he figured a gentler approach was best.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed her bite her lip and fight a smile. He liked the way her face lit up and he had a strange desire to see the smile she was fighting. "You can laugh, I don't mind," he turned and looked her in the eye. She glanced away for a moment, as if she didn't like direct eye contact, then looked straight where his eyes were and gave a shy smile, obviously unsure of what to say. Those sparkling blue eyes made him want to see her smile even more. "I owe you a laugh, seeing as I've scared you half to death. I don't blame you." He shrugged. "Even my own men seem to think I'm some kind of acklay sometimes. Can't say I blame them, either." He thought for a moment and figured she had laughed at his choice of words, combined with his manner and how seriously he seemed to be approaching carrying what he was convinced was over forty holopads. He decided to say so. Or something like it, anyway. "I know, most people don't exactly handle carrying a bunch of holopads with a military approach."