Revamped!

[My precious Wolflet babies…]

The Big Bad Wolf: Part Five

Scarlet leads Wolf through her house and into the kitchen. He gets distracted by its rustic charm, trying to see if there are any photos of Scarlet or her parents around to see her family life. She orders Wolf to sit on the countertop, needing to snap her fingers to get his attention. Scarlet walks out to grab a few things and Wolf slides some appliances and cutlery holders to the side to make room for himself on the countertop. He hops on as Scarlet returns with more than a first aid kit. She has a bottle of vodka and a jug of bleach.

"Take off your shirt," Scarlet tells him as she turns on the sink.

It isn't until she can hear Wolf's snickering over the running water that Scarlet realizes what she said. Her face burns and turns as red as her hair. She's thankful that it's dark minus the moonlight coming in from the kitchen windows so he doesn't notice. She cups some sink water and quickly splashes it on her face to cool down and refresh herself. Scarlet rubs her hands on her sweatshirt to try her hands before turning off the faucet and pouring some bleach in the sink full of water.

Scarlet turns back around, drying her face with a dish towel, and sees Wolf shirtless. For a moment, she forgot she asked for that. Her eyes bulge open at the sight. She didn't doubt he had abs since he's a bulky guy on the outside. Underneath the blood coating is solid abs covered in healed scars and some tattoos she couldn't make out from the dim lighting. She has a gut feeling those tattoos have a much more significant meaning than just ink on skin.

"Do you like what you see?" Wolf asks her, gesturing to himself. The corner of his mouth grins and Scarlet wants to whack him with her towel. It's like he can tell she's attracted so he's teasing.

Scarlet smirks, rolling her eyes as she takes his shirt and throws it in the sink. She really likes what she sees but won't tell him. Scarlet opens the first aid kit and pulls out a clean towel which she soaks with some disinfectant.

"This might sting a little," Scarlet warns.

"Doubt it," Wolf replies. "You saw I did earlier."

"Suit yourself."

Scarlet presses the damp cloth on Wolf's wound and he screams in a way that sounds like a howl. Scarlet jumps back as he curses and pounds a fist on the marble countertop. She sits for his vulgar language to simmer down before taking a step closer.

"I told you it would hurt," Scarlet tells him.

"If you hadn't pointed that gun at me, we wouldn't be here!" He yells back.

"Maybe if you fought better, then that cut wouldn't be here!"

Wolf narrows his eyes at her, feeling offended. "It's your fault that I was late! If I showed up on time then I wouldn't have fought that guy."

"Who trespassed in whose garden?!"

Wolf is silent at his verbal defeat. Scarlet balls up the cloth in one fist as she opens the bottle of vodka with the other and takes a swig straight from it. Her mouth slightly puckers at the strong and tangy taste and she shakes her head vigorously, making her curls shake around. Wolf can't resist smiling at that sight so he does.

"What?" Scarlet asks angrily.

"Nothing…" His smirk remains. "Look, I'm sorry for waking your parents or whoever else is here."

"I'm home alone. Parents are in France and Grandmère's visiting a friend in the next town."

Wolf nods. "So you brought a beat-up guy in your house alone?"

"We're not complete strangers."

"Still. We've never spoken before that interaction in the hall."

"Why? Did you want to have a conversation?"

"Nah. The one now is worth it."

Scarlet tries to hide her smile but he caught it. She returns to his cut with the cloth, dabbing it gently to get rid of the blood. She feels Wolf's muscles go taut at her touch but after taking a swig of vodka himself, he's calm. He groans, leaning his head back against the cupboard.

"Do you even know first aid?" Wolf asks.

"You have no idea how many farm accidents happen around here," she responds, focusing on his wound.

Wolf down looks at Scarlet as she concentrates, he doubts that she knows what she's doing but he doesn't care. He studies her while she studies his wound. In his eyes, Scarlet Benoit is now something more than just another face in school. She hasn't been for a while. When she saved that girl (he thinks her name was Winter) from him and his Pack in the hallway unlike anyone else, she argued with them and threatened them. The fact that she's a girl who pointed a gun at him twice, watched him fight, is willing to look at all his scars and blood shed to help him, and argued with him makes him want to watch her more. He doesn't want this conversation to end.

"Can I ask you something?" Wolf says. Scarlet nods, not looking away from the wound. "Why aren't you scared of me?"

Scarlet scoffs a little. "You screamed at the touch of alcohol. I have nothing to be afraid of."

Scarlet turns away to throw the bloody cloth in the sink with his t-shirt. Then she goes to the first aid kit and pulls out some bandages and gauze, unsure of which one to use. She goes with the gauze and measures a piece to cut out.

"Why is your name Wolf?" She asks him as she puts his hands on the ends to hold it in place as she pulls out some medical tape.

"Ze'ev," he whispers.

"What?" She questions with the end of the tape in her mouth. She tears off some pieces to tape onto the bandages so they stay secure to his body.

"Ze'ev," he repeats, "my birth name. It's Hebrew for Wolf. The English version is so it's easier for schools to pronounce. Only my Ma calls me Ze'ev."

Scarlet nods fascinated. She unexpectedly smiles brightly at the revelation that his real name is actually Wolf. And that his calls his mom his Ma. Now the idea of him having a Wolf Pack makes so much more sense and doesn't seem as weird as it once did.

"Why are you in a gang?" Scarlet asks him, resting her elbows on the counter and looking up at him with a serious look on her face. "Why do this and several other illegal spades for money? Why not be a pizza delivery boy or something?"

Wolf laughs a little. "There are so many things that I'm not proud of and I don't normally open up but I trust you. My mother works for a spading maintenance company with a terrible pay and it's hard to keep up with the bills and have full stomachs. In my life, you either get one or the other. The work I do, despite being illegal, produces more money. The pay I get from one match is equal to two months pay of minimum wage at a part-time rate. However, I'm only there twice a month so my Pack and I make money otherwise. One of them is playing poker with the cocky rich kids like Thorne who will gamble their inheritance if they think they have such a winning hand. Then when they lose, we split the pot to use for our own purposes. It's how we live. Once you're in, it's hard to get out of."

Scarlet nods, not saying a word but her soft expression shows that she understands.

"Does your mom know?" Scarlet asks.

Wolf shrugs. "Unfortunately."

"But how do you attend Lunar Academy? No offence but that school is crazy expensive."

"How does anyone attend Lunar Academy?"

"You're either extremely smart, extremely rich, or a combination of the two."

"There's another clause that nobody speaks about."

"What's that?"

"You're a Lunar."

From Luna. Immigrants. Refugees. Scarlet never found it odd that their school was named after a different nation but seeing that it's a safe haven for Lunar kids, it makes sense.

"You're from Luna?" Scarlet asks surprised.

Wolf nods.

"Born there?"

Wolf nods again.

"Moved here as an infant?"

A third nod.

"Why?"

Wolf shrugs. "Mom didn't like the way the president treated the country. Lower class were ignored despite protests and wars."

"Politicians suck spades, except Mayor Rikan. He's pretty cool for raising the minimum wage by five dollars."

Wolf nods in agreement.

Scarlet pats the wound that has now been cleaned and pressed on with fresh gauze. She steps back and washes her hands, wiping them on her jeans when she's done.

"I'd better be going," Wolf says as he hops off the counter.

"Your shirt is soaking wet but here, take this."

Scarlet takes off her red hoodie and hands it to him. Wolf is hesitant to put it on but she insists, saying that's the only thing she owns that will kind-of fit him. He puts it on and it's a bit snug but he has nothing to complain about since it smells like her.

"Night, Scarlet," he says to her before heading out. "Thank you for this."

"I'd better get that hoodie back," Scarlet replies.

"You will."

"Hey, Wolf?"

Wolf turns back, leaning on the kitchen's doorframe.

"I heard that being a bartender tip well," she tells him. "Apparently, listening to some rich person complain about how shitty their life is while giving them refills of their Cosmo empties their wallet."

"We're too young to be bartenders," he says.

"First off, you're serving the drinks and not drinking them yourself but if you do then who cares. And second, you look older so it'll be fine."

"I'll consider it."

"And if I show up at your bar, I'll tip you big time."

Wolf snickers a little. "Thank you, Scarlet, for pointing that gun at me twice."

Scarlet watches Wolf walk out. She should've gotten his number to make sure he got home safe. What if he passed out halfway? She should've given him a ride! Once he's out of her sight, she brings her hands up to her chest and can't seem to wipe the wide smile that's on her face.

[As someone who's Wolflet trash, I had so much fun writing this.] [2020: Same feelings for revamping.]