Tw: Sexual references, mentions of child abuse (Wolffe had a bad childhood), vomit, blood, Wolffe being WHIPPED but not literally.

It was what Wolffe would consider a successful date. They had watched a holofilm, cuddled, and enjoyed hot chocolate.

Then they realized how late it was, and Wolffe stood in her doorway, about to leave.

"Wolffe," Karina said, ducking her head. "I promised you a kiss at the end of the night."

His stomach fluttered. "Oh, right."

As if he had forgotten.

"Do you want to kiss?" Karina asked, tilting her head.

He nodded. "Yes. I do. I'd like that."

So Karina stood up on the tips of her toes and her lips met his. He let out a happy sigh and his head dipped so she didn't have to strain to kiss him.

Then she pulled away and gazed up at him with half-lidded eyes. "That was nice."

"It was," Wolffe agreed, resting his forehead against hers. He let himself have that moment of happiness before he groaned. "I should probably go. Big day tomorrow."

"Do you have to go?" Karina grabbed his forearm. "Can't you stay?"

Wolffe's lips quirked. "I didn't think you'd want to go that fast, but okay."

Her face lit up. "Not like that! I mean just sleeping!"

He totally knew what she meant. He didn't at all think she had meant what it sounded like. "I'm just joking. I knew you just meant sleeping."

"Do you want to, then? My bunk isn't the biggest, but I could make room for you." Karina glanced behind her. "My blankets are warm."

"If you're going to make me," Wolffe dramatically said, entering her room again.

"Want to change into sleep clothes or something?" Karina asked, getting out an extra pillow from a small closet just big enough to stuff a small child in.

"I'll be right back," Wolffe said before he sprinted to his bunk. He cleaned his teeth, changed, and started to run down the hallway back to her room.

"What are you doing up? It's almost midnight!" Warthog shouted as Wolffe passed. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"I'm sleeping with Karina!" Wolffe responded, not thinking about how it sounded.

Warthog blinked. "I really didn't need to know that."

Wolffe slowed. "Not like that."

Warthog snorted. "I'm telling Sinker, regardless of how it sounds. He lives for this kind of drama. If he could, he'd be in a soap opera."

Wolffe rolled his eyes and began speed walking away. "I don't have time for this."

"Can I get your blankets tonight? Boost stole mine and my feet get cold," Warthog said with a grimace.

"Sure. Whatever." Wolffe nodded his permission.

Karina's eyes flicked up to him as he returned. "Do you want the side closer to the wall or the side further away?"

"Further," Wolffe answered. He didn't want to feel like he was trapped. 

Karina pushed the blankets aside as she crawled onto the bed. She took the spot closer to the wall and patted the spot next to her. "I don't bite."

"Shame." Wolffe settled next to her and pulled the blankets over the both of them.

"Don't make me kick you out," Karina threatened, eyes glinting as she held back a laugh. "I will."

"You're too much of a softie for that." Wolffe grinned and wrapped his arms around her. He rolled her so she lay atop him. "We both know you're too nice to make me sleep cold and alone. Warthog took my blankets."

"I suppose you can stay," Karina said with mock reluctance. She kissed him again before resting her cheek on the pillow next to him as she rolled away. "Just don't snore too loud."

"I don't snore." Wolffe scoffed. "You better not talk in your sleep."

"I don't talk in my sleep." Karina huffed.

And as it turned out, Wolffe didn't snore, and Karina didn't talk. Instead, he shook with nightmares occasionally, and she held him closer as she slumbered. He slept sounder with her touch, and she was comfortable.

It was a win-win.

Wolffe wasn't a fool.

He knew the Kaminoans didn't have pure hearts. He knew from first hand experience that they treated the clones horribly.

He had hoped, at least, that they weren't that cruel to the younger cadets. Sure, he remembered the horrible things he had gone through as a child, but that was normal for kids, right?

Eight year olds usually ran laps until they threw up.

Ten year olds were usually taught to kill someone they loved if they had to.

Fifteen year olds always had to clean up their own blood from the floors after their wounds reopened. 

Those were normal things for kids to go through.

What wasn't normal, however, was how secretive they were of some of the infants. Wolffe remembered that one kid Karina had found... Easton? Anyway, he hasn't seen him around in the nursery while he and Happy had swapped shifts.

And that scared him.

The nursery was supposed to be where all of the youngest clones (aside from the ones still in the tubes) were kept. Yet he hadn't seen... Eric yet. 

In his days with the younger cadets, he had been looking through records, trying to find ET-002. Yet he didn't find even a single mention of him in all the files all day.

Until he found a restricted file that needed a password to see it.

That nauseous feeling returned at full force as he thought about it. He stared up at Karina's ceiling, mind swirling with thoughts of Kaminoans and poor, terrified children.

"Wolffe?" Karina softly asked, reaching out to touch his arm. "Are you okay? You seem upset."

He startled. "Sorry, I didn't know you were awake."

Karina hummed. "It's fine. Something on your mind?"

"Nothing. Just... stuff." Wolffe turned his head to kiss her. "It's fine."

"If you want to talk, I'm here." Karina burrowed back into the pillow and blankets. She yawned and threw an arm over his chest.

"Sweet dreams," Wolffe softly said. He fell asleep shortly after, thinking about her kind smile instead of the cruel Kaminoans.