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"You're going again?" Wolffe couldn't help but give his vod'ika a look like he'd just tossed his cookies on the floor. "Seriously? This is like the sixth time today Codes. Maybe you need to sleep on it to get what you're missing."
"He's not going to have the extra delay out in the field," Wolffe shot Fox a nasty look. He was trying to get Cody to drop it and at least enjoy some of his down time. They didn't get much of it but Bly and the others had headed for the small recess area they had been given access to a while ago. Fox had managed to pick that deck of cards off one of the trainers and they had come with some rules on how to play sabacc in them. Cody had wanted to play with them earlier but now he was apparently more interested in trying to melt his brain out his ears on the holotable tactical simulator. "Or even a chance to redo things. Best to learn that now."
"He's also running a simulation that's three times over the difficulty he's currently ranked at," Wolffe gestured at the table in question. "It's not like he's even being scored for this!
"I got this," Cody mumbled, clearly distracted as he looked over the table and the metrics that were appearing along its edging. It was a base being overrun scenario but there didn't seem to be an end in the relentless attack. Cody had been trying to send a squad around to scout the enemy forces but he had been blocked every time he'd tried the different paths or his base had been overrun before he found anything. "You guys go on ahead."
"If you're not back to the room in an hour will come and get you," Fox warned him as he pushed off from the wall where he had been leaning against and started out the door. "Come on Wolffe, we'll figure out the rules so we can bring him up to speed later."
Wolffe would have rather Cody just left the damn table where it was but he had two of the more stubborn vode in their batch ganging up on him now. Unlike Codes he knew when to call it quits. With a sigh he stomped after Fox who padded along quietly without a look back to see if he was there.
He made a point to match his vod's pace as he came up alongside him but gave himself a moment to stew before saying. "You really think he's going to stay there all night trying to get that?"
"There's a good chance he'll try," Fox said as his eyes glanced about the hallway they were in. Fox had gotten really good at finding things over the years. Other vode couldn't seem to hide anything from his vod. It was like every other day he was finding a cache of stuff someone had managed to sequester away. Wolffe was starting to wonder just how much better he was going to be as he got older. Already as a fourth year he was becoming a little terror amongst the rest of the vode for being able to find and steal their stuff… if he didn't like them. Usually he would give them a warning in passing so that they would move their stuff and he’d go about finding it again. He’d turned it into a game for himself. "That's why I gave him a time limit. We'll go and drag him back if he's not in the room by then but it gives him enough time to get another two full runs in at least. He should be sick of it by then."
"He better be," Wolffe grumbled as he looked over his shoulder back in the direction they came from as if that would somehow make Cody appear. "It does make me wonder where they're going to assign him… his tactical scores are seriously up there."
"Wouldn't surprise me if he was assigned as a marshal commander," Fox agreed with a snort, feet slowing as they approached their door. He came to a stop about five places away and held out a hand for Wolffe to stop as he went to step around him.
"What is it?" Wolffe asked as he glanced around. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary but judging by the look on his face he had certainly seen something. "See a cache or something?"
"No," he said, frowning as he pointed at the keypad next to the door. "But someone's been in our room."
Now that he pointed it out there looked like there was a little smudge of the red sauce that had been on their protein mash for the last meal of the day… but all of them had cleaned their hands when they came back from the mess earlier and it hadn’t been there when they left.
He straightened from where he had bent down to better glare at the smudge. "Didn't Bly lock the door when we left? Maybe someone got the wrong room and left after their code didn't work?"
Fox hummed thoughtfully but still didn't look convinced.
"Maker, you are so suspicious of everything," Wolffe grumbled as he rolled his eyes and stepped up to the door, punching in the code with a little more force than was probably necessary.
The room's lights came on as he stalked inside. The bunks for him and the rest of their batch were all nearly made so it was easy to see that there was one in disarray. A trembling lump was curled up tight underneath the blankets on Cody's bunk as he stared at it in disbelief.
Fox made a point to punch his arm as he walked past. The 'I told you so was' loud enough in his movements that Wolffe couldn't help but jump forward and whack him upside the back of his head. Fox's shoulders hunched forward as he paused for a moment, then spun around ready to pounce on him which Wolffe was already ready for. It had been awhile since they had a good wrest-
The bundle on Cody's bunk sniffled.
Both of them froze, the fight completely leaving them as they looked at the small bundle again. It trembled and shuffled about slightly as whoever shifted about. It was pretty obvious that whoever was in Cody's bunk was clearly distraught about something.
Wolffe stepped around Fox who in turn circled around so that they were on either side of the bundle. Wolffe stepped up to the bed and waited until Fox was in position at the head of the bed. A sharp nod from his vod prompted Wolffe to reach down and snatch a fistful of the blanket, quickly pulling it off whoever was there in one sharp movement.
The clone sat up with a gasp, obviously startled at suddenly being exposed like he was. He wasn't a vode that Wolffe had seen before but he had obviously been decanted a few weeks or maybe even a few months after them. He looked young which just made the tear stains on his cheek stand out that much more.
He was also blond which was weird. Wolffe had never seen a vod yet with hair any different than his. He looked so small and pathetic sitting there as he was that Wolffe said the first thing that came to his mind.
"What are you doing here vaar'ika?"
The vod blinked at him in confusion for a second and Wolffe could almost see when it clicked as to what he had just been called. The vaar'ika went about three different shades of red and jumped up from the bed. He got right up in his face -the fact that he had to look up slightly at Wolffe proved that he was justified in calling him a vaar'ika- so that he could snapback.
"I'm not a vaar'ika!" His eyes were starting to leak all over again. "I'm not!" He said as his voice cracked slightly in his denial.
Wolffe went to point this out but the vaar'ika sniffled again and backed down as he looked away from Wolffe to scrub at his eyes. "I'm not," he whimpered even though he seemed to realize he was already digging the trench deeper.
"Good job making the vaar'ika cry," Fox said, causing the poor kid to jump again, startled by his presence. He went forward though and Wolffe nearly overbalanced as he slammed into him. He grunted at the impact but made a point to wrap his arms around him so the vaar'ika didn't end up on the ground.
He wasn't expecting him to take that as an invitation to wrap his arms around his shoulders and hold onto them as he buried his face in his neck. Wolffe very nearly dumped him on the ground then but stopped as the kid sniffled again. He rolled his eyes, ignoring the smug look on Fox’s face as he crossed his arms again and looked at the two of them.
If that bastard called him a ‘softie’ or something for this he was going to make a point of kicking his shebs the next time they were sparring.
Awkwardly he patted the kid’s shoulders, “Come on vaar’ika, no need to cry.”
In hindsight that probably wasn't the best way to get him to stop crying.
It was Fox’s turn to roll his eyes but at least the di’kut seemed to decide it was time he did something to help. His vod stepped up alongside them and rested a hand on the kid’s shoulder. He stiffened but didn’t try to move out of Wolffe’s grip. “Alright vod, take a deep breath,” Fox said as he gently rubbed at the kid’s shoulder. “What are you doing in here anyway? Did you get lost or something?”
The barely smaller than them vod shook his head. “Nightmare…” he admitted after a moment but at least his voice was starting to sound a little less weepy.
“You had a nightmare so you came in here?" Fox clarified as he looked at Wolffe in silent question. Woffle twitched his shoulders and rolled his eyes. How the kriff would he know where this kid came from?
"Yeah," the vaar'ika said softly, the words were said so softly that they were practically muffled by Wolffe's shirt.
"Were you looking for someone in particular or just a place to hide?" Fox said purposely keeping his voice pitch soft and at a gentle rolling cadence. He could be an ass most of the time but when he really put his mind to it Fox could get almost anyone to calm down and talk to him with just a few words.
"Cody… Cody said if I was ever upset to come find him. He," the kid seemed to realize that he may have just inadvertently gotten Cody in trouble. "... Gave me the code and told me what rack to get into. That he'd be there as soon as he could."
Wolffe drew back slightly so he could look down at the kid in an effort to gauge if he was being sincere or not. Of course it didn't help since the vaar'ika still had his face buried in his chest so he shifted the confused look to Fox. "Since when did Cody adopt someone?"
"More importantly," Fox said with narrowed eyes and a small snarl on his face. "Why didn't he share that fact with us?"
Ever since Bly had somehow managed to get candy from one of the trainers it had become a mutual agreement amongst their batch that they share everything. Secrets, snacks, items, they would share everything.
… Like apparently a little vaar'ika that was having nightmares…
The kid tried to shuffle back, apparently trying to figure out what was happening so Wolffe smiled down at him. "Come on vaar'ika let's -"
"I'm not a vaar'ika," the kid said defiantly.
"Do you have a name yet," Fox questioned as he moved back to Cody's bunk to make some semblance of the blanket that was in disarray across it.
"Uh… no…" the kid seemed ashamed of that fact.
"Well then… we're going to have to find you one quick before vaar'ika sticks," Wolffe replied easily enough as Fox finished pushing the blanket back enough to make room for the three of them. He pulled the kid over and pushed him back and down to the bedding. He put up a token protest but really he seemed more worried that Wolffe went to stand up but leave him there in the bed. "Cause it's already catching on quick."
Fox was busy grabbing the sabacc cards from where he had stashed them and was pulling the blankets off both their beds as he passed so Wolffe made a point to settle down next to the kid, hemming him in slightly with his arm until Fox could take his spot on his other side. The kid was still looking a little unsure of what was going on but he seemed to settle into Wolffe's side readily enough.
Fox brought the blankets over, making a point to toss Wolffe's at him in a wadded up ball. Jerk. Woffle made a point to keep the kid against him with one arm as he shook out his blanket even as Fox settled in on his far side. He already had his blanket unfurled and was draping it about his shoulders and folding it over his legs and front.
Wolffe finally got his blanket to unfurl and he flipped it around himself like Fox had. The blankets were long enough to trail over them and cover the vaar'ika legs and torso. Fox had made a point to pull Cody's blanket up and over them and Wolffe ended up helping so that all three of them were cocooned together in the blanket nest they had made.
"Uh," the kid lifted his head slightly as Fox pulled the little piece of flimsy from the card pack and tossed the pack Wolffe's way without looking already intent on the writing on it. "What are we doing?" The kid asked, sitting up a bit as Wolffe began to pull the cards out and for the lack of something better to do he began separating them out into like piles on the vaar'ika's lap.
"We're going to learn to play sabacc," he said as he nodded his head towards Fox. "After he's done memorizing all the rules."
"Oh… okay…" Wolffe watched him out of the corner of his eyes and saw the sleep that was still lingering in his eyes. He was just staring at his hands as he flipped through the cards. Wolffe made a point to slow his pace down just a tad and after he had gone through all the cards he gathered them up, shuffled them and just started flipping and checking them at random. The repetitive motion and soft sounds of the cards made against each other was all it took for the kid to slump down between them and slip into a light sleep.
Fox had long since stopped reading over the rules. He had just watched as Woffle had lulled the kid to sleep with next to no effort. It was the small smirk that broke out over this face that had Wolffe glaring at him even as he continued to move the cards about at the same place that he had been. He made a point to whisper quietly at Fox, "If you say it, I'm not pulling my punches in training."
Fox seemed to chuckle at that threat but he didn't seem interested in trying to rile Wolffe up anymore than that. Probably was worried about the vaar'ika waking up. Wolffe swore it was a trick of the lighting now but the little blond haired vod seemed to have dark bags under his eyes.
"He hasn't been sleeping well," Fox whispered after a moment of watching the kid slip into a deeper sleep between them.
Wolffe hummed in agreement, still flipping and shuffling the cards in his hands about at random.
By some unspoken rule they stayed like that for a while letting the kid get some honest rest between them for a change. Wolffe shuffled the cards and Fox kind of just sat there. He was staring off into space with that look on his face like he was trying to piece whatever the kriff he had on his mind now.
That's how Cody found them after about an hour. Their batch mate walked into the room looking confused at a moment till he noticed the kid slumped between them. He let out a small sigh as he stepped in close so they could have a whispered discussion and hopefully not wake the kid.
"What's with the vaar'ika?" Wolffe asked softly, still dutifully shuffling the cards even though his hands were starting to get tired.
Cody went to answer but Fox beat him to it. "He hasn't been sleeping so you offered to cuddle with him if he was having issues resting."
"Yeah," Cody ran a hand through his hair giving the kid a worried look. "He's been having some real problems sleeping and his batch didn't know what else to do to get him to rest. One of them stepped up and asked me to at least talk to him and I found out he's just… well he keeps having recurring nightmares and they're starting to affect his performance so… I told him to come here if he couldn't sleep."
"Huh," Fox shifted slightly but made a point to pull the covers back over the kid as they slipped down. "Well our vod'ika better pick a name soon cause at this rate vaar'ika is going to stick."
Cody gave Wolffe a long-suffering look but didn't say anything, probably already knowing it was a lost cause. "Push over," he mumbled instead as he grabbed a corner of Wolffe's blanket and pulled it aside enough to burrow his way into the bunk.
"Hey, watch it," Wolffe grumbled without any heat. Fox glared at Cody as Wolffe's blanket was pulled from the kid's legs and went back to fussing with the remaining blankets to keep him comfortable while they tussled for a spot.
"It's my bunk," Cody fired back as he rearranged himself so he was curled into Wolffe's side and under his arm. He was silently relieved that he really couldn't shuffle cards anymore even if Cody was doing his best to half crawl into his lap. "And you love cuddling so can it," he added as he flipped the blanket over his legs and back over Wolffe's lap. Fox seemed happy that he could pull the corner of the blanket back over the kid at least
Woffle held the cards out for Fox to take. He at least waited until Fox had tucked the cards away before stretching that arms out and pulling Fox back and close. His vod made an indignant sound but shifted back regardless with little prompting. He did make a point not to wake the kid as he settled more against them in the blanket nest they had made for themselves.
Wolffe had to admit -not out loud- that he really did like cuddling.
-Break-
Commander Wolffe had to admit it had been awhile since he had landed boots on Coruscant. How the fuck Fox could stand being bound to a single planet he would never know. There was so much more to see and do out in the Galaxy rather than just stand around on a planet full of stuffy well to do assholes that didn't give a damn about anyone but themselves.
Still… It was fun to see Fox run circles around the dimwitted natborns. Practically could televise it to the GAR as some quality entertainment. The Wolfpack alone would demand enough holos toq fill all their allotted down time.
79s hadn't changed since the last time he had been there. Same place, different vode. His eyes scanned over the assembled mass of troopers and assorted natborns as he tried to decide if he was in the mood to dance, drink or harass-
A familiar blond head caught his attention.,
Harassing it was.
Wolffe made a point to come up on his blind side as he sat there, drinking alone at the bar. There were several empty glasses near him and the stools had been spun out so he was obviously holding the seats for some others as they ran to get more drinks, use the head or try and dance out on the floor.
Wolffe clapped a hand on his shoulder as he went to take another sip and whispered in his ear as he startled slightly at the hit. "Haven't seen you in awhile vaar'ika," he smoothly slid into the chair next to him. Smiling at the glare that was sent his way as he added a little louder, "How's it been going?"
Captain Rex gave him an annoyed look as he wiped at a few droplets of his drink that had splashed on his chin with the back of his hand. "Wolffe," he started giving him a glare that could rival Fox on a good day. "You know I hate it when you call me that."
Wolffe chuckled, "At least I didn't say it so someone could over hear me. Imagine if some of your boys got wind of that nickname."
Rex sighed and pressed his glass to his forehead as his shoulders hunched and he looked at the table. "I'd end up spacing half of Torrent," he finally said after a moment. "Probably starting with Hardcase or Fives."
Wolffe raised an eyebrow almost wanting to ask why but the long suffering look on Rex's face was enough of a tell right there. "Let me guess: those two are going to be the ones you'll be picking up from Fox tomorrow morning."
"And maybe Jesse," he nodded in agreement. "Those three almost always seem to get on Fox's bad side anytime we're on Coruscant."
"It doesn't take much to get on Fox's bad side these days." He hated how upright Fox always seemed to be when he ran into him nowadays. At least that Senator seemed to be doing some good for him. The last time he had gone to pick his lot up from Fox's drunk pen he seemed a bit more laid back than he had been a couple months before that.
"Yeah," Rex was quiet for a moment. "At least he doesn't seem to take my head off like some of the other officers going to get their drunkards."
"Oh I know why," Wolffe said with a smirk. He was quick to lean in and whisper. "You'll always be his vaar'ika too."
Wolffe laughed as he dodged at the semi playful swipe Rex sent his way.
He knew his vaar'ika all to well.