One Moment

"One moment" is a phrase Boom hears periodically throughout his day. It varies, sometimes more standoffish than others, but still controlled. It's almost like a catchphrase in the comic books he likes to read.

"One moment," Kat will say to him while pouring her coffee, or typing, or finishing an experiment. When she does finish she will look up, give him her attention and say, "yes, Boom?"

The first time he heard it was on his first day. He had knocked on the door of the lab and heard it from inside. Still, he stepped through the doors. He felt sheepish, and a little humiliated, being he academy dropout of the year. Everyone whispered around him wherever he went. People knew him as the quitter—people called him that. Few people knew his name at that point.

"Hello, Boom, it's good to meet you," the beautiful woman in the lab had smiled, shaking his hand. She was stunning, and he had all but stammered his way through an awkward 'hi'.

It has been warmly familiar to him ever since. It's Kat's manners at their best, whether she's angry, or tired, or happy, she always says it courteously. He admires that about her—her control of herself, her emotions, what goes on around her. It's cool, and totally...Kat.

When she's annoyed it's usually his fault. Anyone who comes to her while she's cleaning up his messes gets the annoyed "one moment". He feels bad, then, for Kat (cleaning up his mistakes) and the visitor (arriving to an irate Kat). Once, though, he heard it while she was arguing with Commander Cruger. He wanted her to take a weekend off but she insisted that she was busy. Boom made the mistake of knocking on the door and got the annoyed "one moment".

The careful "one moment" usually comes when she's in the middle of working. Most times she's in the middle of an experiment, and needs every bit of attention for it. Her hands are steady and her eyes sharp. If she's not physically working she's typing up reports. Once in a while, it'll come when she's trying to approach the Commander after a particularly hard day.

The normal, happy "one moment" is the most common, with Kat's generally friendly nature. You get it when you catch her in the middle of something, or when you walk into the lab during work hours, or something like that. Boom gets it anywhere around a dozen times a day.

There is a new "one moment" though. This "one moment" is full of breath, between gasps and muffled moans. It's alarming to say the least and Boom shifts uncomfortably. Still, Kat answers the door to her quarters and greets him with a mildly annoyed smile. Despite her frustration she smiles at him and says, "yes, Boom?"

"You, uh, forgot your mug," Boom gestures. Kat's lips are red and have clearly been in use. Her hair is tousled from its usual state of curliness. The shoulder that peeks out from behind the door has her shirt and bra strap sliding off of it. "I'll just, uh, put it in the lounge for you."

"OkaythanksBoombye!" she smiles before the door slides shut again.

Boom walks away from it slowly with the haunted, slow movements of trauma witness. He glances back at the door for a moment in disbelief. However, a loud thud and the shaking of the door, combined with muted moans makes him scurry off in a rush. His mentor is like a sister/mom combined to him, but he also (begrudgingly) acknowledges him that she's a beautiful woman. This attracts plenty of attention from men all over base and he's less than powerless to stop it. The only one who can stop them, usually is Commander—

"Oh, Doggie!" Kat's voice lets out a deep, purring sound of satisfaction.

"Oh, God," Boom smacks his head against the chrome molding of the wall. The only one who can stop the attention to Kat by strange men is the one in there: Commander Cruger.