#sovalock

Sova heats a up a cup of milk for his insomnia in the communal kitchen, when Deadlock walks in on him.

"What are you doing here?" her scornful tone seers off what's left of his groggy state.

"Uh... warming up some milk?" he points to the rotating cup in the fusion heater. He tries to keep a straight face, but Deadlock startled him. Logic and survival instinct kept him alive, but coping outside of the wild and around other humans come sometimes be challenging.

"Ugh" Deadlock's irritated shrug echoes around the tiling.

"You want some?" he asks slowly with caution. It makes him some like an idiot, but manners are manners and he didn't want to upset her more than he already did.

"No, of course not!!!!" her face says it all as she storms out of the kitchen.

"Sorry" he mumbles to himself in the empty kitchen as the fusion heater pings in completion.

Deadlock didn't expect anyone to be there this time of night, and she definitely did not want to walk into him. These days it seems like she can't stand the sight of him, anywhere, not even on missions. The real reason why, she'll of course, never tell.

"What do you mean she can't stand you? Did you do something to offend her?" Sage leans back in her chair mischievously looking up at the agent before her.

"Of course not. I am well mannered, like my grandma taught me. I try not do anything to make her angry."

"That's odd. There must be something-"

"Sage, come'on. You know me?" Sova's expression looks distressed, his thick eyebrows accentuating the deep furrow of his frown lines.

"I do, Sasha. You're a harmless puppy."

"I'm not puppy." he huffs raking a rough hand through his blonde tresses.

"Look, it's no secret she had a hard time adjusting here. Sometimes people struggle to communicate feelings after a traumatic event. They try to push them down, but they somehow find a way up. We've all been there before. Still... I'll see if I can talk to her."

"No no, you can't do that! She'll know it was me!"

"Listen, it's my job to make sure everyone is getting along. Chances are, you're not the only one that came under her wrath."

"Please don't! She'll know it was me." his plea is desperate and his eyes full of truth. A gorgeous blue, like a clear lake on a deceptively cold but sunny winters day.

"Sasha..."

"Give it time. I don't want her to get in trouble. If it continues, you have my word that I'll come back to you."

"Alright, but if it's not better within 1-2 weeks, I'm calling her in for a meeting."