#i think tails has been shown to have a few different houses and labs in different locations

[sonknuxadow]

why does sonic prime talk like everyone has lived in green hill zone this whole time.. sure sonic is seen there a lot, but hes never been stated to LIVE there.. neither have any of the characters that were seen there in the show as far as i know. like i can believe tails having a workshop set up in green hill but i Cant believe knuckles and big who are already established to live in other places live in green hill. and people keep saying sonic prime is supposed to be canon to the games and thats literally the only reason this is bugging me if sonic prime is really supposed to be set in the game universe why would they do this. i know restricting it to green hill is probably to save time and money but surely they could have come up with other excuses for the characters being in green hill a lot that arent just. saying everybody lives there when they dont

[bekolxeram]

Thank you for that super interesting meta about the airfields and the hangar! Now my question is...if they were able to use Helinet for 1.5 episodes' worth of scenes, if they wanted a different location for Air Harbor, they'd have to want it for a lot MORE than 1.5 episodes (unless Helinet wasn't available at ALL so they had to start over). But then you run into the "wait no helicopters" issue you mention. But I'd think that they could rent a few helicopters for one day to get the exteriors? I'm talking myself in circles.

Oh, you and I both. I've been thinking myself in circles since looking at the hangar scouting photo and the A320 mock-up. To be frank, currently I'm not really buying the new Air Ops theory yet.

So, only the 7x03 Tommy stealing helicopter and the 7x04 Eddie stealing Tommy Air Ops tour scenes were filmed at Helinet. The entire rescue mission inside of the helicopter was filmed in a replica back at the studio. It doesn't fly but it can be easily disassembled. You can take the doors away for camera access or you can take the tail and rotors away, stick the fuselage part on a kind of shaking device for special effects.

This is how they filmed the helicopter ride.

This is the actual helicopter that flies. Look at the window next to Oliver's head, it's bigger and more rounded on the edges.

Now, the 2 scenes they filmed at Helinet are pretty short and not that complicated, just some characters talking with some extras walking around in the background. They just had to shuffle some helicopters around, maybe move a few desks down from the office. If they shot the 7x04 tour scene late afternoon, I can totally see them waiting for the sun to go down, then knock out the 7x03 scene, all in a couple of hours.

As for the helicopters, I don't think any one of them that we saw on screen even left the airport.

Here in 7x03, look closely at the window again, we only see the helicopter flying in the sky without other visual reference in the shot. Next thing we see, it's landed and it's the replica on the helipad.

Or here in 7x04, we see Tommy's helicopter flying off, then cut to Buck's jealous face, and that's it, end of scene.

It would be way more expensive renting actual aircrafts, fly them to another airport then just put them there for looks. While Helinet does own 2 aircrafts specifically contracted by ABC for electronic news gathering, like N29HD here:

The other one, N71HD, has a major problem:

I still maintain that there's no need for Air Ops to be shown on the show. I mean, we never see Karen's lab other than that time it exploded. If somehow 118 requires air support on a call, then you only need the helicopter, not the base. Or if someone goes to Air Ops to talk to Tommy, just shove him in a regular office and call it a control room or something. Although if for some reason we're going back to Air Ops this season, I can see why a new hangar would be needed.

Helinet and the city of Los Angeles have been involved in a tug of war over the proposed expansion and modernization of the Helinet base since February. Helinet says its current facilities are too old and too small, it would need bigger hangars (so that the maintenance crew doesn't have to work outside) and better office space (for regular workplace wellness). Residents in surrounding neighborhoods, on the other hand, are strongly against this proposal, as they believe this is just a trojan horse for Helinet to house bigger jet aircrafts in the future, bringing in more noise and air pollution. (You can read about this here, under Development Chilling Effect) The city council rejected the expansion proposal in February, and Helinet is actually suing the city of LA to force the project through.

I'm not taking side here, I don't basically nothing about this case, but if you're interested, you can read letters from Helinet employees addressed to the city council here. There are photos of the hangars and office space on the last page, and... honestly it's not looking good. Frequent sewer drain backups, poor ventilation, and when it rains, it leaks everywhere.

Oh, and when I watched 7x03 and I saw this little kitchenette set up in the background, I thought: cool, they make it feel like a real fire station. Turns out, it's the Helinet office's actual kitchen. Yes, that's all there is, this make shift set up, for the entire company.

Again, I have absolutely zero idea what that hangar at ONT is for or anything about S8 for that matter. But I totally understand why they wouldn't want to go back to the Helinet office.

[therewasatale]

have a cup of tea

On Ao3.

The room was so saturated with magic that the air was sizzling. It flow through the cables, vibrated around the monitors, and completely filled the three tanks. Each of them contained one, different colored heart, all the three pulsating slowly.

The leader royal scientist put out his cigarette and lit up another one. His hand trembled for a moment as pain flashed into his forehead, but he tried to shake off the waves of pain. They were becoming stronger and more frequent. He focused on the data with his left eye as he put his lighter in the pocket of his worn-out lab coat.

'We were only able to extract a miniscule amount of DT from the three souls. We are sure that DT is more abundant in the souls of infants than adults, however, if the subject… '

The cursor slowly pulsed.

…the subject….the subject…it…It's that damn headache again. I don't have time for this!

Dr.Gaster blew out a breath of frustration and reached for his painkiller.

His phone rang, Lerian sent an SMS based on the display. Gaster read through the message several times, but kept his right eye closed. He had been awake for more than 29 hours and it was taxing on his body, but he couldn’t let that stand in his way. His fingers started dancing on the keyboard again.

'… If the DT in the subject's soul's is not its primary aspect, it can only be found as a cohesive force. The amount needed for this cohesion is miniscule. In comparison to the other parts of the soul, DT is hardly measurable. Still our research has shown that for the soul of a monster even such tiny amount can be suitable for maintaining it for an unknown time, possible forever. '

Not far from his door, three figures stuck their heads together.

"He's not listening to any of us, Neo."

"Well, that’s far from being a new situation, especially these days," the answer was full of sarcasm, but there was also genuine concern, just carefully hidden.

Cigarette smoke rose up.

"Orchid, do you have to smoke even when we are inside?"

"Sorry, when I'm nervous I just have to…"

The three royal scientists looked at each other in silence and just stayed like that for a while.

The first voice, which belonged to an older lizard monster and bearing the name Orchid, took the chance to speak again as he blew out another dose of smoke. He moved his dark blue, scaly tail behind him as he talked.

"As we were talking about, he isn't listening to any of us, so we are forced to turn to the only voice he always hears."

"I feel like some kind of tattletale." Neo, the cat-monster, currently a full-time scientist, scratched his head with the temple of his glasses.

They had to do something; they were in agreement about that.

Their last colleague, a newbie, Alphys, stood nervously placing her weight from one leg to the other. "But-but we have to do it… Dr.Gaster…"

"Yeah, he's starting to overdo things again. We all seen his injury, I think it got worse again. If we don't do something, he'll lose his right eye completely!" Orchid glanced at his colleagues, slowly blowing out a puff of smoke. "The only question is who should go?"

There was a heavy silent which sit down on each of themes shoulder.

"I will, the king trusted me with it anyway." Neo put his thick glasses back on his nose. "You keep an eye on him in case he finally decides to go home."

Orchid snorted a little, putting out the cigarette on the wall and for once ignoring Neo's disapproving look.

"I don't think he will leave; in fact, if you ask me, he hasn't even got up from his desk in hours."

"Mhm," Alphys rubbed his hands together. She fantasized a lot about what it's going to be like working in the lab, but keeping an eye on the lead researcher never came to mind as a possible aspect of her job.

"All right, all right, I won't be long… or more like we won't," Neo hurried away.

When the two of them were alone, Orchid patted the young monster on the shoulder amiably.

"Everything will be okay, Dr.Gaster just have this habit of getting too into his work, and forgetting that there are those who are worried about him. His heart is in the right place, but no matter how big his skull is, he never pays attention to his own well-being."

Alphys smiled slightly. "We really owe a lot to him, the Core was a huge step forward in the monsters' lives here."

"As you say…but I think he's always focused on the next step. He really wants to get us out from here."

"But, if-if he continues like this-"

"Yeah…but everything will be all right, the king always can talk some sense into him."

An hour later, there was a knock on the door of Dr.Gaster's office.

"I'm busy right now."

"What a shame…I've even prepared a special tea."

A voice from the other side of the door immediately woke the scientist up from his work-haze, and almost it almost made him fell out of his chair. It didn't take three seconds and he was already on his feet at the entrance.

"Your Majesty!" Gaster opened the door and looked up at King Dreamure who head a wide smile. "Wha-"

"It's good to see you too, Gaster. I've heard you buried yourself into your work, so I thought I better visit."

"You've heard…" the scientist stepped aside and glanced behind the king down the hall. Three of his colleagues were making sure to look everywhere but at him "so my colleagues have sneaked up on me and furthermore they have bothered you with some nonsense."

"Now-now, they're just worried you might overdo the work, and they haven't, and no, it is not some nonsense." Answered Asgore kindly.

"I'm fine, sir," said the scientist with a small huff.

"Good to know," the king smiled, and put down the small box in his hand, starting to unpack. "In that case, how about we drink a cup of tea? Then I promise I won't bother you anymore."

"I-" but as their eyes met, Gaster knew well he wouldn't be able to get out of it. "All right, as you wish, Your Majesty."

He pulled another chair closer to his desk and made sure to only sit down after the king. The squeaks, vibrations, and clicks that filled the room before all seemed to fade into the background the pleasant smell of peach tea took their place.

"How are you, Gaster?"

"Everything is fine, Your Majesty. The research progress at a rate that could be expected, soon we will be able to extract the determination out of the souls without losing any of it. If that happens we will have some options in our hands to try to break the barrier."

"Commendable." Asgore glanced at the three souls for a moment, but decided not to let the past distract him from the present. "And how are the boys, Sans and Papyrus?"

"They…" Dr.Gaster took the cup and held it in his hands. Thought for a moment as he gazed into the dark, steaming liquid "They're fine too, they're growing nicely. Sans is getting more talkative, Papyrus loves to hide from me all over the house every time I'm home."

"Then you're not getting bored. It's good to hear you're not alone at home." The king smiled warmly, but in the meantime he carefully inspected the skeleton sitting in front of him.

The lead researcher looked just as exhausted as his colleagues had painted him. The dark circles now sat much deeper under his eyes, the sleeves of his lab coat were covered in stains of oil, dust, and coffee. Still, the most worrying thing was the injury running along the right side of his skull.

The crack that stretched all the way to his right eye was not new, but it had gotten worse lately, which filled Asgore with worry.

During the fighting, when survival was the only thing before their eyes. Gaster, teleported far more monsters to safety using his magic than his power would have normally and then a crack appeared on his forehead. It was neither this deep nor so wide then. It all started to get worse during his underground research. The unhealthy lifestyle; minimal or irregular sleep, bad eating habits, plus the constant stress had an increasingly serious impact on his soul and body. No one could really determine what shape his soul was actually in. He refused to show it even to the king.

And the crack just drew deeper and deeper.

"I can assure you, your Majesty, I am fine. I feel like I'm nearing a breakthrough and I don't want to lose my momentum."

"I know you carry the weight of the fate of monsters on your heart, and you have the best of intentions to act like this. I'm just asking you to sometimes think about your own well-being when you do your research." Asgore raised his hand before the monster could answer. "Before you answer we should drink, if the tea cools down, it's all just wasted."

"As you wish." Gaster took a slow sip of his tea. The warmth quickly spread through all his limbs and for a few second the painful tightness in his chest eased. He didn't even notice the feeling before. When did it appear? Maybe it's always been there. "Really delicious."

"I'm glad you like it." However, Asgore didn't touch his cup.

The room began to slowly sway in front of Dr. Gasters eye.

"What…?"

The cup clinked on the floor spilling the remaining tea to the floor.

"What…Asgore..."

The king watched him in silence, an apologetic light glinted in his eyes.

"oh…you gotta be-" the world darkened before Dr.Gaster's eyes, but before he could collapsed to the ground the king caught him and held him safely.

"I'm sorry, Gaster, but I had to act fast and I haven't got any better idea."

His limbs were pleasantly numb, and the throbbing of her eyes were a thing of the past. His hands felt some kind of soft material, but so far his head didn't feel like getting up. His scientist self, however, could not stay asleep very long and tried to discover the reason for him suddenly falling asleep. He was in the middle of his train of thoughts when he heard some nearby voices.

"Why does a skeleton always tells the truth?"

"I don't know. Why?"

"He wants tibia honest."

"Ohoho. I didn't even think about that."

"Nyeee."

"I think your brother likes puzzles more than jokes."

"He's, but I'm just being humerus."

"Nyeeeeehehe!"

"Sans…" Gaster turned his head to the side as he opened his eye.

"Don't bother your brother."

Said young skeleton-monster scratched the back of his neck a bit ashamed. "Sorry, dad."

He and his younger brother sat on the floor between a pair of coloring books and various pencils, in the company of the king, who watched the young monsters with a warm smile.

"Da!" Papyrus toddled to the couch, then raised his arms toward him.

"Hello, Papyrus." Gaster reached out carefully and stroked his son's head. Encouraged by this, the young skeleton struggled up the couch with some help from the king.

"Nyehehehe." He proudly raised his hand in the air and then crawled under the blanket next to his father. The royal scientist noticed that the fabric was blue with a large white bone embroidered on it. So, he was resting under Sans' blanket.

"So, Your Majesty," Gaster's voice sounded more different then when he was in the Lab "would you enlighten me how I got home and on this couch?"

"Well, I-"

"He brought you home!" Sans chuckled at the embarrassed Asgore who slightly blushed.

"Yes?"

"Well, I…" the king gave out a defeated sigh. "Your colleagues have messaged me that you don't move from your office, you don't eat and you don't sleep properly. While you can go or not go wherever you want, but not sleeping has a serious effect on your body. Not to mention that your sons were missing you. By the way I thanked Gerson, that he took care of the boys while you were away. "

"Nye."

"I think I can say that Papyrus agrees with me."

"Nye!"

Asgore's warm chuckle eased Gaster's tension.

"Hm, I see," he carefully placed his bone hand on his younger son's head and smiled faintly as he snuggled closer to him. Even though both of his sons born from his soul, he had no idea where Papyrus inherited his affection and kindness from.

"Thank you. Um, all right maybe I've really needed some time home." Gaster glanced at the king who watched the kids with soft eyes. "You're not staying for dinner, Your Majesty? As an apology for causing much inconvenience."

"There was no inconvenience, don't worry about it."

"But still."

"Nyeh!"

"Stay, let's make some spaghetti!" Sans nodded and climbed up next to his brother.

"Maybe, should we ask our guest abo-" Gaster's words seemed unheard.

"And there will be a lot of ketchup in it!" Sans raised his hands enthusiastically towards the sky.

"Nyehehe!" His younger brother joined him.

"Sans, Papyrus" Gaster snorted softly, but even his sons felt that his gruffness wasn’t really there.

"Come on, come on. Spaghetti sounds great, I haven't eaten in a long time, now that I think about it."

Asgore gave an encouraging look to the scientist.

"Hm, in that case we're making a giant serving of spaghetti, I think we might have everything for it already...or we'll improvise."

"You're good at that, Dad," Sans chuckled and his grin only grow when his father snorted while rubbing his son's skull.

"Okay, but no need to hurry, rest as much as you want. I'll make some tea before we start cooking. I still have a serving of raspberries."

"Raspberry?" The scientist closed his right eye and glared at the king, trying to hide his confusion.

"I'm sorry, over the years I've learned to improvise, too." The king walked toward the kitchen, "and I think I have some ingenuity in me, too."

Gaster also snorted, closing his left eye while called out to Asgore heading into the kitchen.

"The biggest gas-rose turns on a little suddenly," he took a few slow breaths and felt Sans falling asleep beside him as Papyrus wrapped the blanket around his brother and squirmed closer to them.

"The tea can in the cupboard below on the left..." the thought slowly faded to black and with it he himself. He could still feel the weight of his slowly breathing sons on his side, and the pleasant smell of raspberries. However, exhaustion and some quiet peace finally rolled over him. Taking slow deep breaths, he fell asleep.

[official-cisphobe]

i highly admire your worldbuilding skills. can you tell us more about your OCs and their universe?

this is probably gonna be a bit lengthy so strap in! (edit: it is very lengthy)

the basics of Voidverse, like I explained earlier, is that there is a group of people tethered to each other by fate and higher forces, the purpose of the Alts is that they are a sort of keeper of balance between worlds and each of them is a sort of savour or hero in their respective timeline/universe. They weren't always aware of each other but when a great danger threatens all multiverses and all life they have to come together to defeat it—they do this with the help of someone called Katalin Huerta who has an ability called The Bridge ie she can create 'bridges' to other timelines/universes from wherever she is.

Technically the main character of Voidverse is Classic the Demon aka Classic, who is sort of a butterfly effect to get both the Alts and the end of the world running. but more about that later, I'll explain the other characters first.

anyway this ended up being super long so added a Read More to not take oevr anyone’s dash akdhsfsfg

Jojo - already explained

Leoh Yu - Leoh aka Badger is probably the most normal Alt out of all of them concidering he's not a demon or any sort of supernatural or sci-fi creature. Leoh grew up in Dazhai, China in the late 1970's to late 1980's with his mother and grandmother where they owned a farm and a bakery. His life took a turn when his mother got very sick and his family couldn't afford good doctors or treatments. at some point in the way of making money Leoh at 18-years-old was approached by a group of hitmen to recruit him, which after some time and thinking he accepted. Leoh worked as a hitman for about 30 years before retiring at age 40 to get married to his now husband Nico Mahariel as well as adopting a babygirl named Qing-Qiu. Leoh's past, however, will not let him go that easy but that's a story for another time.

Tuyja - Tuyja was a prophet of the Goddess Ghalme in an ancient civilisation called the Weykha. the Weykha lived in a sandstone kingdom and it is rumoured that they are where the legends of mermaids and Atlantis came from. Tyuja however was not of the Weykha people, instead she was born from the stars with ocean blue skin and horns made from spacedust. She was regarded as a sort of next in command from the Royal family and was basically treated as an extention of the Royal family (if not even higher than them), which infuriated the jealous Weykha prince. Tuyja had also fallen in love with a servant girl called Muza, which the Prince had used as leverage against her and turned the Weykha people against her, telling them that Tuyja would steal all their gold and jewellery and give it to a servant girl, that he had heard her say she would strip the skies of moon and star so that Muza would shine the brightest, that he had seen her tame ocean waves so that the servant girl could pick sea shells from the sand below. Tuyja had become a threat to the people who had praised her and come to her for guidance, they had banished her into the sea for 5000 years.

Quiet - named after one of my friends because I really like teir name and I've had difficulties naming this character for years, Quiet was born and raised in a lab where they were subjected to varieties of cruel and inhumane experiments going as far as getting permanent damage to their ribs and lungs. in canon Quiet only got their name after joining the Alts, Jojo who became their closest friend nicknamed them Quiet because they're,,, well,,, really quiet. ngl their story and character arc is on the undeveloped side

Lotus Draqon - Lotus is a half-human half-dragon who grew up outside his pack of origin because his mother Jupiter wasn't sure how the Matriarchs would react to Lotus' half-human trait. The dragons are an ancient people of long ago with vast magical abilities and lived in harmony with mortals, sharing their magic with them—until an evil was awakening and the Gods began to tear down entire cities. Mortals expected and begged the dragons to help them survive but the Matriarchs decided to abandon them, priotising the dragon's survival. They lived in isolation and hiding, shielded in a deep forest by magic for thousands of years. until Lotus as a young adult decided it was time for him to leave the nest and see the world. Jupiter was reluctant but Lotus was determined to never again live in fear. In time Lotus would become a very important figure to both the dragon and the mortals inhabiting the lands as dark forces began to matirialise and the Matriarchs became restless, declaring war against mortals.

Voidkeeper - demons are very hard to kill creatures, no regular blade or bullet with damage them much beyond cuts and bruises. the most efficient way to kill a demon is for one to end their own life which by Satan's rule is forbidden. It has happened technically two times but the first one was by a demon now known only as the Voidkeeper. After ending their own life as punishment their horns and tail were cut off, their magic taken away, and they were banished to the Void forever. Slyly they managed to grab some of their depleted magic and put it into a magical stone for safekeeping, it is only a very limited amount but can do very wondrous and powerful things things. The Void grants the Voidkeeper clairvoyance as to what is going on in whichever timeline and universe, they are a sort of silent watcher and will never interfere with the goingonabouts of the mortals. the Voidkeeper has a very minor but very important part to play in regards to the Alts and the saving of all life in the multiverse but for now they are patiently waiting and watching.

and finally there's our boy Class whose story is undoubtedly the most developed out of all of these so let's go through it:

Classic is a minor demon and was born at a time when the Underworld and the Human world were not so separate. He was born in a tiny demon village of about 15-20 inhabitants. His father had left him and his mother when Classic was about three years old and has not been seen since, Classic doesn't know if his father is dead or alive and doesn't really care about it either. Classic was an only child and pretty much a mama's boy, although he had a few friends in his village. Unfortunately his life changed forever at 12 years old when human soldiers pillaged his home, killing everyone—Classic would have been dead as well but his mother used her dying breath to save him with magic.

Classic had been knocked out during the raid but when he awoke he witnessed the aftermath of a bloodbath. Scared and alone and unsure of what to do he ran away from the scene and travelled days across the country until he stumbled upon a town of humans. Wrath overcoming his senses he murdered the entire town, leaving no human alive, going as far as tearing down entire houses and setting the entire place on fire.

Classic was later found in the ruins of that town crying by a group of angels. He was taken by them to a city in the sky and adopted by a family of angels. He wasn't generally liked by his neighbours but the angel child he lived with became his best friend for years to come. They grew up together, learned to use their different magicks together, Classic learned he could even materialise wings and fly albeit badly at first.

But as history has shown, wherever Classic goes, terror follows.

Classic had been having nightmares for months, very terrible ones, of dark forces beyond his understanding. They felt familiar and cruel, almost mocking.

Before he realised what he had done, the angel he spent his childhood with was dead and there was blood on his hands. Just like before, as if on instinct he ran away from the city of angels and went into hiding. Multiple years had passed by now and the human world was very different from what he remembered. It was no longer that easy to stay out of the radar of humans, since they were pretty much everywhere with cameras and police.

To say he was causing issues in the human world would be an understatement. He would steal, break into houses, even kill to survive. Random fires would start and radiation with no apparent source would appear all over.

This is where Katalin Huerta comes in—see, she is a commander of a very special branch of task force, it was her own creation. Her people dealt with supernatural oddities and threats, it was govrrment funded but entirely indepentant from their meddling albeit they can be difficult to please. Katalin was born with special abilities, a sort of family tradition—at birth her soul was bonded with that of a powerful spirit that had once been one with the soul of Katalin's mother. The spirit gave her the ability to control and create fire but her own speciality was her Bridge ability.

anyway, Katalin had taken notice of the strange indicents around town and taken some of her people to go check it out, only to find a teenaged demon crawling in an abondoned factory. She could tell the demon was just afraid and lost and decided to help him. Which is how Classic joined her task force.

Which honestly was probably the best thing that had happened to Classic, Katalin taught him to fight and better utilise his demon magic as well as taught him to use a sword (Classic has never understood guns and will never attempt to). Learning spells with a human was a difficult task but eventually they figured it out. Classic's natural abilities worked very strongly as illusion based magic as well as materialisation, although the latter has been more tricky to master even after all these years so as we speak Classic's only materialisation spells are his wings as well as his sword and teleportation.

Eventually the darkness haunting Classic began to rear its head again, Katalin catches wind of this and fortunately can help him keep it out from his head yet it still lingers in the air and grows stronger.

until now Classic had never before talked about the darkness. but at this point he was cornered and Katalin wouldn't take no for an answer.

At that point in time all Classic knew about the darkness was that it was some sort of ancient entity, it wasn't a demon because its presence felt entirely different from at least the demons Classic was used to. He nicknamed it Ash, as all he could remember from the times it has appeared are the ashes left by roaring embers.

In reality the darkness is one of the five forgotten gods of an ancient people. It was cast aside by the Creator and exiled from the land of gods. The darkness hates mortal life because of the gods' love for them, so it seeks to destroy all that is living. in its weakened state it needs a vessel to succeed and has been corrupting Classic and molding him into that vessel since that day he turned 12-years-old.

Only the Alts can defeat the darkness, whether Ash stays defeated is only a matter of time.

[hybridfanfiction]

Owner Training - 2

Word Count: 2,585

“Yah, get up. We have things to do today.” 

You groan as the gravelly voice slowly pulls you from your deep sleep and try to cover your face with the blanket. You couldn’t even remember waking up once during the night and wanted to get back to it. Having such a good nights sleep was a rare phenomenon. You couldn’t recall why it happened but you hoped it would again. You bury your face deeper into your pillow and allow yourself to drift back to sleep. 

“You’re still not up? Fine.” 

The comforter that had felt as comfy as a cloud a few moments ago was ripped from your body, the sudden rush of cool air bringing you to full awareness. You whine and crack open your eyelids, coming face to face with the smirking hybrid looming above you. 

“Good afternoon. It’s almost one. I made you food so come eat it.” Yoongi orders with an amused grin, waltzing back out of the room with his tail flicking cheekily behind him. 

You wipe the sleep from your eyes and sit up with a moan, cracking your neck a bit as everything comes back to you. 

You were now a hybrid owner. Or something like that. 

You honestly had no idea how this was done, which is partially why you’d never gotten a hybrid for yourself. You’ve seen your brother and his hybrid interact, true, but you didn’t know much about the day to day stuff. You weren’t sure how much you were supposed to treat them like their animal counterparts versus the human side. 

And that was especially a problem for you right now, because sleeping with Yoongi cuddled in next to you had definitely not given you the same feeling as if you’d been cuddling an actual cat. Instead, you’d been very aware that there was an amazing smelling man wrapped around you, nevermind the quiet purring or the tail that had wound itself around your legs. 

You sigh and pick up a hair tie from your nightstand and put your hair up as you walk towards the kitchen. On the table were two omelets, along with a glass of milk for Yoongi and your usual lemon and ginger tea. The food actually smelled pretty good, although there was a touch of a fishy scent that worried you. 

The two of you sat down and you began sipping your tea as Yoongi tore into his omelet, finally revealing the source of the fish odor as he did so. 

“You put tuna in the omelets?” 

“Just in mine. Yours has cheddar and spinach. This one is good though...here.” Yoongi grunts as he shoves a bite of his tuna monstrosity towards your mouth. 

Not wanting to upset him, you open up and allow him to feed it to you. He watches intently as you chew, smirk growing as he observes your trepidation turn into surprise. 

“Not bad, right?” 

“It’s not awful, no.”

Yoongi snorts in amusement then gestures towards your own food. 

“Eat up and get ready. You have things you need to get me today.” 

You pause with your fork halfway to your mouth to stare at him curiously. 

“I do?” 

“Duh. I’m living here now, so I’m going to need my own things. Don’t worry, I have a little money. There are just certain things that hybrids can’t buy on their own.” 

“Oh, well alright then, I guess. It’s my day off, so I don’t have any other plans.” 

Yoongi raised a single eyebrow as if to indicate he was already aware before digging back into his food. You shrug and follow suit, pleased that it seemed like Yoongi was a decent cook. It was hard to mess up an omelet, honestly, but it was still really well done. The eggs were fluffy and the filling was a good ratio of cheese to spinach, and you were almost certain he’d even added a dash of red pepper flakes. 

“This is really good, Yoongi. Thank you.” 

He merely nodded at the compliment, but you swore that you caught a flash of pink on his cheeks. 

The rest of the meal was finished in silence, followed by the two of you getting ready to go...somewhere. You figured he’d tell you once you got in the car so you’d at least know where you were driving to. As you gathered your things to leave, you couldn’t help but notice the threadbare outfit he was wearing as he met you by the door. It was one you’d noticed numerous times before, as you recognized the black and red t-shirt that you remembered had a hole near the armpit. You hoped clothes was one of the things he’d let you get today. 

Yoongi follows behind as you head towards your car then slides into the passenger seat and buckles up without any prompting. He grabs your phone when you set it down and puts directions onto it. 

“That’s where we need to go. It’s like a Costco for hybrid goods.” 

You nod and pull out, letting Yoongi put on the music app before setting it back to the GPS for you. 

“If it’s like a Costco does that mean we need a membership?” 

“Yup. Only humans can apply for it, although I’ll get a card too.” 

“So what all do we need? Like, clothes, food, I dunno...litterbox?” 

Yoongi quietly growled as he stared at you incredulously. Even his ears and tail looked offended, flickering at you with agitation. 

“Try and make me use a litterbox. I dare you.” 

“I said I didn’t know!” 

He scoffed and settled into his seat in silence, and it remained that way for the rest of the thirty-minute drive to get to the store. He didn’t appear too angry, more like annoyed, which was understandable. 

As you pulled into the parking lot, you were surprised by the sheer massiveness of the place. The greeter at the door was a friendly Lab hybrid that directed you to the membership counter, where you obtained a couple of cards after paying a membership fee and taking a couple of pictures. You supposed it would be worth it if Yoongi was really staying and you’d be needing to keep him supplied with...whatever you were here for. 

You pushed the cart along, studying the products with wonder. You had no idea hybrids had so many different things. The cart soon became filled with soaps and shampoos, toothpaste, brushes, the fluffiest towels you’d ever felt, fifteen bath bombs, and at least five blankets because apparently Yoongi didn’t skimp on his comfort items. The clothes that the two of you picked through were some of the softest fabrics you’d ever felt, and the pants all had holes of different sizes for tails to fit through. You’d even gotten a couple sweaters for yourself because you’d loved the plush feel of them so much. 

The food area was really impressive and had lots of hybrid friendly meals ready to go, as well as a fish section that had Yoongi enthralled. The roasted chicken samples seemed to make him just as happy. You came out of the food section with more food than you’d ever bought at once before. You should probably explain to Yoongi at some point that you can make a pretty swell can of soup and that’s the extent of your cooking ability. 

After nearly an hour and a half of wandering the store, Yoongi had you stop in front of a wall of collars. You were surprised, as you hadn’t pegged him for the type to want a collar, and it must have shown on your face because he snorted at your expression. 

“It’s the law. All hybrids have to wear a collar outdoors. I only got away with it when we were coming in here because we’re obviously new. Stupid law, but whatever.” 

Yoongi inspected a few collars before settling on a black one with a thin band. The material looked soft enough and when he tried it on, it looked amazing. In the completely non-pet way that you couldn’t give voice to. 

He threw it into the cart and went right back to looking at the collars again, to your confusion. How many collars does one hybrid need? 

After throwing an entirely too mischievous glance at you over his shoulder, he grabs one that looks more like a black lace choker than an animal collar. Your brain starts to malfunction trying to picture Yoongi in lace and that’s when he strikes, wrapping the collar around your neck with a smug grin. 

“What? I don’t need a collar,” you squeak, reaching up to touch the lace with your fingers. 

He shrugs, staring at the collar with both a blush and an annoying smirk. 

“If I have to wear one, only fair if you do too.” 

“That’s bullshit. I’m not walking around in a collar.” 

“So wear it around the house. Seems fair enough. I have to wear one outside, you have to wear it inside.” 

It did sound fair, but you knew it was also him just being a little shit. Whatever, you probably looked hot. Silly hybrid can’t make a fool of you. 

“Just say you’re kinky and call it a day,” you laugh as you take it off and throw it into the cart. He grumbles and turns to the tag machine. 

After a few moments, he throws a couple of small gold tags towards you to inspect. One is simple; Yoongi’s name, your phone number, and address. The other...

“Who the hell is Ginger?” 

Yoongi’s eyes light up like he thinks he’s finally won whatever silly game he’s been playing. 

“Oh, that’s your kitten name. You have a collar, might as well have some stupid cat name to go with it.” 

“Yoongi isn’t a cat name. Why doesn’t yours say Mr. Fluffington or something?” 

“If you ever call me that I will shred every piece of clothing you own.” 

You chuckle at Yoongi’s disgusted sneer, his button nose crinkling adorably. 

“Well, at least tell me why Ginger.” 

Yoongi shrugged and grabbed the cart, pushing it towards the checkout. 

“You always smell like that lemon and ginger tea you drink.” 

Huh. He’d sounded almost fond of you just then. 

You were humming to yourself as you waited in line when Yoongi suddenly shoves a huge wad of cash right in your face. 

“What’s this?” 

Yoongi quirks an eyebrow. “I believe humans call it money.” 

“I’m aware, smartass. I mean why are you shoving money in my face?” 

“I have a decent amount of money from busking. I just couldn’t spend it on much because of the stupid laws. Just stuff from the convenience store or whatever. If you want to throw up a fuss and pay for everything because you’re the “owner,” then you can do that another time. This is a lot of shit, so just take it.” 

You sigh and accept the money, which is easily almost three hundred dollars. The fact that he had this much money and couldn’t even spend it on his own was ridiculous and broke your heart. Yoongi was obviously independently natured, and having to deal with that on a daily basis no doubt hurt his pride. At least now he could say all of his new things were purchased with his own money. 

You sent Yoongi off to go buy the two of you a couple of drinks from the cafe for the road. You pulled the item you’d been hiding from the bottom of the cart and handed it to the cashier, asking her to ring it separately. You’d just barely managed to get it bagged and rehidden before Yoongi came back. 

After checkout, the two of you rush home to get the perishables safely put away. As you stock the fridge, you wave Yoongi away, telling him to set up the rest of his things. The couch now sports two new fluffy blankets and a little pillow you hadn’t noticed before. His clothes now have a spot in your closet and his towels and bath products are next to yours in the bathroom. You hadn’t realized how empty the place had seemed before, but the evidence of another person living here was comforting. 

While Yoongi was in the bedroom organizing his clothes, you took the chance to pull out the bag you’d been hiding among the groceries, unwrapping it and setting it next to Yoongi’s pillow and blanket on the couch. You quickly run back to the kitchen and go back to putting things away. 

A few moments later and you were finishing up in the kitchen as Yoongi wanders back in the living room with a few books and magazines about hybrids that he’d insisted on you reading “so I don’t have to explain every damn thing.” He stopped short as the front of the couch came into view. 

“What the hell is this?” 

“Hmm? What’s up?” you hum as you slowly strut into the room. You try for nonchalance, but you know that the smile you can’t hold back gives you away. 

Yoongi is sitting on the couch clutching the black cat plushie you hadn’t been able to resist buying. Beyond the fact that the toy had a little button nose that resembled a certain cat you knew, it was also meant for calming. It had a little opening in the back to keep pouches of dried chamomile. Something told you that Yoongi hadn’t had many calming situations in his life, and though this was barely much of anything, you hoped it would help ease his way into being happy here with you. 

“You like him?” you ask, settling in next to him as Yoongi stares at you in wide-eyed wonder. 

“I...yeah. It’s a little lame, but uh...thanks,” Yoongi stutters, taking an audible sniff of the plushie before he sets it in his lap. 

“You’re welcome.” 

“And...” Yoongi continues, his cheeks going pink as he fiddles around with the toy. “Thank you for not kicking me out on my ass. You should have.” 

“You are more than welcome here, Yoongi. I may not be the best or smartest person to take care of a hybrid, but at least I’m not willing to let one sleep out in the cold if I can help it.” 

Yoongi scoffs, and the haunted look in his eyes makes you want to cry. “That already makes you better than most humans.” 

You reach over and grasp one of his hands, half expecting him to smack you away. You’re pleasantly surprised when he lets you and squeezes it back. 

“Right,” he clears his throat and stands up. “Do your homework. I’ll throw something together for dinner. Salmon okay?” 

“Yeah, sounds great. Thanks, Yoongi,” You grin and grab one of the hybrid books to read while he cooks.  

Yoongi takes a step then hesitates, throwing you a quick look before grabbing the cat plush and taking it with him to the kitchen. You hide your smile behind the book. You two are going to be okay. 

[perspective-series]

Werewolf Perspective (2/10)

By @arc852 and @hiddendreamer67

Warnings: None

(Check the reblog for links to the previous chapters!)

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Logan inspected the dark green stalks, looking up to see it ascend to reach heights four times his own. He began to saw through one of the tinier branches off the main stem, huffing slightly from the exertion.

 Roman tilted his head. “Do you need some help?” Without waiting for an answer, Roman plucked the entire stalk from the ground and held it out to Logan. “There you go!”

Logan blinked, for a moment just gaping at the entire plant was ripped out in front of him. Surely it was the size of a regular tree back in the village.

“I….I only need a sampling.” Logan managed to form coherent words after a moment, only briefly pondering the idea of trying to take the entire plant home with him.

 “Oh, um, here.” Roman ripped off the tiny branch Logan had been working at earlier and held that out to him as Roman tried to put the plant back into the ground. It kind of worked but it was a little crooked now.

“Thanks.” Logan tilted his head, regarding the leaning plant for a moment before taking the sprig and putting it into his bag, which at this point had already become rather full. Indeed, Logan had not fully accounted for the fact that plants within the whispering woods would be this large. 

“Alright, let’s see…” Logan pulled out his list. “Next up is not a flora, but rather there is a location known as the spring of avawren. Its waters are said to hold magical properties. Have you heard of it?”

 Roman grinned. “Of course! It’s actually right behind where I live!” They had purposefully built their house there because of the close proximity to the river after all. “Though I never noticed it had magical properties.” Roman hummed at that thought, wondering what kind of magic it held. He grabbed Logan and started on his way.

“It’s mostly healing properties, although it has to be concentrated correctly to be noticeable.” Logan explained. “Or so the legends say.”

 “Interesting.” He supposed that’s why he hadn’t noticed it. Since Werewolves already had fast healing abilities. They made it to the river in record time, Roman able to see his house about a half mile away. “Here we are.” Roman once again put Logan down.

Logan crouched by the water’s edge, pulling out a large bottle and filling it up. He plugged the lid, shifting the liquid back and forth as he noticed how the water seemed to sparkle. 

“Where is your home?” Logan asked, standing up and taking a look around. Of course, it was hard for him to see past the dense sea of reeds surrounding the spring.

 “Over that way!” Roman pointed towards the distance before realizing Logan probably couldn’t see. He picked the human up to show him. “See?”

Logan peered where Roman was pointing, noticing what looked to be an absolutely massive log cabin. The structure was magnificent, and even to Roman’s scale likely held two stories.

“Impressive.” Logan couldn’t help but note. “Did you construct that all yourself? It seems awfully large.”

 “Oh, no, my packmate and I both built it a few years back. He’s currently inside the house right now.” Virgil was his only packmate, the two never having clicked with any of the other werewolves in their old village. So they had packed up and moved out here. He wondered briefly if Virgil could see him and if he did, he was probably wondering what he was doing.

“Oh.” Logan regarded this new information. “How many packmates do you have?”

 “Just the one. We never clicked well enough with anyone else to bond with them.” Roman shrugged. Sure, most packs held at least 4 wolves where they were from but as long as Roman and Virgil had each other they were okay.

“I see.” Logan was quite the same. Most humans avoided his company, even for reasons other than his experiments. The only exception was his friend Patton who stubbornly refused to abandon him like everyone else. “How many werewolves are usually in a pack? Is it the same as regular wolves?”

 “The least amount is usually four to a pack, the same as giant wolves. Though, I think regular wolves are at least six to a pack, so a little different there.” Roman answered with a shrug. 

“Yes, that’s what I’ve observed.” Logan nodded. He had had his fair share of run in with wolves, though none of them pleasant. It was certainly a welcome discovery to find Roman wasn’t intent on devouring him. Or at least… he had shown no sign of such a desire.

 Roman nodded. “So, anything else you need on your list?” Roman asked, eager to continue to help.

“Well, yes, but…” Logan looked up, noticing how low in the sky the sun had dropped. “I should probably be heading home before it gets much later, it’s already going to be a long trek.”

 Roman frowned, his tail no longer wagging. He didn’t want the human to leave. “Well, maybe you could stay the night with me! My house is just right there after all and it would be no trouble at all.” Roman grinned hopefully.

“Oh, no, I wouldn’t want to intrude.” Logan shook his head. “Besides, I should probably return these ingredients to my lab promptly.”

 “Aww, please Logan. I’m sure Virgil wouldn’t mind the company and I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t actually want you there.” Roman said, practically begging. “Besides, it’s already really dark and I don’t want you getting hurt on the way home.”

The concept of someone caring about his safety was almost foreign to Logan, and briefly he was reminded of Patton. At the very least, Logan didn’t want to risk the safety of his new rare ingredients if he were to be attacked on the way home.

“I suppose one night would be acceptable…” Logan mused.

 “Yay!” Roman cheered, already heading to his house. “This is gonna be great! I’m sure Virgil will be thrilled to meet you!” Probably. Maybe.

“Is Virgil like yourself?” Logan asked, wanting to know exactly what he was getting into.

“Eh, he’s more of an introvert than I am. A bit darker as well and can be a bit sarcastic but he’s a good guy.” Roman explained, silently hoping Virgil would not immediately hate Logan as soon as he smelled him.

Unfortunately, Roman’s hopes went unheard. Virgil sat inside the cottage, sniffing the air. Just like Roman, he had smelled the human as soon as it entered their territory. Now the scent had become intermingled with that of his packmate’s. Virgil let out a jealous growl, claws digging slightly into the kitchen table. What on Earth was Roman doing with a human? The petty little things were so bony they weren’t even worth trying to eat, and they always liked invading nature and claiming it as their own. 

 Roman entered the home and immediately sensed Virgil’s angry emotions. Their eyes then met and he bit his lip and looked down at Logan. Maybe this had been a bad idea…

 “Virgil! How is my wonderful packmate doing on this fine evening?” He asked, putting on a smile.

“Why’d you bring it in here?” Virgil growled.

Immediately Logan regretted his decision to come here, trying to look even smaller as he felt Virgil’s beady gaze upon himself.

 Roman frowned. “He came to our territory on accident, looking for some ingredients. I decided to help him and it is currently too dark for him to go home safely. So I offered for him to stay the night.” Roman explained.

“Terribly sorry, I don’t mean to intrude.” Logan apologized.

“I wasn’t talking to you.” Virgil turned his gaze to Roman.

 “Virgil, he is our guest. Please treat him with a little more respect.” Roman tried, holding Logan closer to him.

“Well he’s certainly not my guest.” Virgil huffed, shoving his chair back from the table. “If you want to turn into some sort of human rescue facility, you’re not gonna get any help from me.”

“I can go if it’s really a problem.” Logan offered, looking back and forth between the quarreling wolves.

“Good.” Virgil snarled.

“....I thought you weren’t talking to me?” Logan pointed out, but the look he got in return made him instantly regret speaking up.

 “Okay, Virgil can I speak to you alone for a moment?” Roman put Logan down on the table and smiled at him. “Be right back!” He then pulled Virgil into another room for some privacy.

 “Really Virgil?”

“You’re the one who brought a human into our house!” Virgil retorted. “This is supposed to be you and me space, not you and me and him.”

 “I know! And I’m sorry, I should have talked to you about it first. But there is just something about him. I don’t know what but I couldn’t just leave him to go home out in the dark like this. He’d get hurt!” Roman explained before sighing. “Please, it will just be for tonight. Just be civil?”

“...fine.” Virgil relented. “I’ll stay out of your way and let you do your whole human babysitting shtick. But I don’t want to see him getting into any of my stuff, and come morning he’s gone. Got it?”

 Roman wagged his tail in glee, his ears perked up. “Of course! Thank you so much Virgil!” He hugged his packmate before going out to get Logan. “Good news Logan! Virgil has agreed to let you stay the night!”

“Thank you both for your kind generosity.” Logan smiled as Virgil emerged as well. 

Virgil looked at the human, almost bored as he stalked past the two of them and back into his room.

“...is he always like that?” Logan raised an eyebrow. Logan was not by nature social, but this was on another level.

 “Well...he is a little towards non-packmates -so everyone but me- but he gets worse around humans. He...doesn’t like your kind.” Roman admitted, though it was probably obvious now.

“Noted.” Logan nodded.

 “But he will stay in his room tonight while you stay in mine!” Roman picked Logan up and headed upstairs to his room, setting Logan down on the desk he had up there. “Well? What do you think?” He asked, motioning towards his room.

“Impressive.” Logan said, taking in the craftsmanship of every piece of furniture. It was also astounding to think of the amount of materials that had gone into creating such a structure.

 “Why thank you.” Roman said, despite the fact he didn’t make all of these himself. “So, did you get everything you needed? Cause if not we could also go out tomorrow.”

“There’s still a few items i’d like to acquire.” Logan admitted. “But my bag is becoming full, I’ll have to go home instead.”

 Roman let out a whine before he could help it and hoped that Logan hadn’t actually heard it. He cleared his throat. “Well, I could always make you another bag to fill up and take with you.” Roman suggested. “I know I have some fabric around here somewhere that should work.”

Logan blinked. “I suppose that would work, but I must ask, why are you so eager to help me?”

 Roman’s ears flattened against his head. Not even he was sure why he wanted to help this human so much. Not only had they just met but he had entered their territory! He should have driven him away, not brought him in deeper.

 ...But there was just something about Logan. A feeling that was almost familiar at this point, a feeling that reminded him a lot of Virgil-oh no. Roman’s eyes widened.

 The thing he was feeling was a bond.

 He had bonded with a human.

[yunasightx]

Names and Puzzle Pieces( aka , give me the Mcmercy fam fluff!))

(Behold this monster that has literally been sitting on my flash drive for a over a year and a half. I have no excuse for this fic besides the fact that I’m a sucker for wholesome expecting family fluff— and that goes double for this pair. Literally.)

Disclaimer:

As I stated before, this fic has been sitting around for a while .. so I really did not go through it with an ultra fine tooth comb (( and is also the reason why there are some characters, like Moria, who are not mentioned even though they have a strong relation to members of the original Overwatch---  especially in regards to Mercy and Mccree’s past. They simply were not around at the time when I wrote the bulk of this. I added Brigitte in last minute though , because it was a bit easier to mention her....and i may also ship her with a certain rocket-jump gal ))I did try my best, but I really just wanted to get it over with. So, apologies for Iand grammar issues. I may go back to edit later if I see anything insanely obvious.

In the meantime, happy reading and enjoy! ))

Tornborjn,

I just looked over the schematics you sent me. So far, the upgrade looks promising – but I’m a little concerned about stress the additional weight and momentum might put on the joints in Fig 4.  Reinhart is not  as young as he use to be  ( despite what he might boast about) , and while an extra booster might help the Crusader Suit have a little bit more of the “OOMPH” the two of you are looking for …. Osteoporosis is not just something that is exclusive to women.   Which reminds me…. I believe you are overdue for your yearly physical as well, Bärchen  <3.

Angela

Ps. I highlighted the issues I think need a second glance.  Maybe we can get lunch next Tuesday to look them over?  I have been craving grilled fish and sriracha something terrible lately.

Angela read over the email one last time, checking for the usual typos and general grammatical errors, before hitting the send button.  The email blipped out of existence from her computer screen leaving only the  default Overwatch logo quietly staring back at her.

The doctor leaned back in her chair with a content sigh, “Well, one thing down…. Several more to go.” She had spent the whole morning cleaning out her (what always appeared to be) constantly full inbox; replying to and sending out correspondences to anyone and everyone who had questions and concerns for the Head Doctor of the reinstated global peacekeeping organization. Angela supposed she could have been fielding most of them off to an intern, or even asked Athena for assistance, but she liked being proactive in things ---- and truth was… she needed SOMETHING to do for the next couple of months.

Angela glanced over to her Valkyrie Suit which stood like marble statue between the two pristine white and glass shelves behind her desk  while her hand came up to rest on her still- rounding  stomach.   The lighting of the room gave the enameled white coating a soft iridescent glow and illuminated  rest of the black, orange and gold details.  The sight of it rising over the back of her chair, even with the wings powered off, as someone walked into her pristine office was something  that she knew bordered on spiritual

She’d be lying if she said she didn’t miss the adrenaline, the rush, and energy of being on the field ,or being actively involved in something ; but while the she would always be incredibly proud of her first child ---- at the moment she now had other lives she had to care for first.

And she knew the others were in good hands; Lucio and Zenyatta were newer to the life style of being a Overwatch Field medic , but so far they had shown enough promise that most of Mercy’s fears had been eased.  And dear darling Brigitte had taken the helm of that group in stride after dealing with patching up Reinhardt for years. They often came to her for advice, and she was very happy with how far all of them had come since joining Overwatch.

Angela actually had the sneaking suppression that donning the Valkyrie suit for so long was the reason why her pregnancy had been going so smoothly —for the most part— in the first place . The results weren’t completely definitive, but it seems wearing and handling experimental bio- nanotechnology over a long period of time had had some unforeseen side effects.  One of which  being what basically boiled down to slowing down the aging of Angela’s cells. It wasn’t much, just a under a decade in difference to her chronological age—-she would still age, she just wouldn’t have to worry about things like grey hair , wrinkles , mammograms, and arthritis as soon as everyone else.

Ana had joked the she should retire and just sell her product to  a home-shopping network  as the newest “anti-aging skin care line” --- then buy a nice little vacation home in Hawaii for her , McCree and the little ones ( with an extra guest house  for their favorite “Nana”, of course).

But, Mercy knew that at nearly Thirty-Nine years of age she should have expected a myriad of complications with getting pregnant, at least naturally ---- especially with both her and McCree starting to push forty. So, when it had happened after their first try… it had come as a bit of shock.  She and Jesse had talked about the possibility of children, the idea of growing their family just a little, but they had still had gone into the whole thing with a mindset of “if it happens, it happens”.

And when they discovered it they would be having twins….

Well, Mercy made a note to add gynecology and fertility research to her ever growing list.  After she had to pick McCree off the floor that is.

But, aside from three and a half months of nightmarish morning sickness and the never ending whiplash of weird cravings, everything had been progressing surprisingly well.

Well… almost everything.  

Angela’s thoughts broke off when she felt what was quickly becoming familiar fluttering of movement pushing against the palm of her hand.  She laughed and lightly rubbed her fingers over the spot, “I guess nap time is over , hmm?” She hummed. She felt another little persistent nudge and sighed, “Right..... back to work!”  

Angela braced her hands against the armrests and pushed away from her desk, before awkwardly hauling herself back to her feet; grunting as her center of gravity and new constantly-changing weight shifted back to her pelvis as her very round stomach curved out in front of her and her lower back arched in.

Angela knew she was surprising large, even with twins.  She looked more like she was nearing the tail end of her third trimester with one child, rather than twenty weeks with two.

She had given up trying to button her lab coat and pants weeks ago, and forgot the last time she had been actually able to see her feet (were her toes still painted sky blue?  Or was it lilac? Rustic orange ? The world will never know. )  Now, she just opted for breathable tunic dresses and a nice pair of stretchy leggings with her favorite pair of flats  ——and when she was home, she all put lived in Jesse’s flannel shirts ( but, she had the feeling even they wouldn’t fit for much longer either at this rate..)    

She thought about the closet of cute, but sensible new maternity wear Ana , Lena, Brigitte and Pharah had eagerly  helped her shop for  just a few weeks ago (with the former captain letting Mercy know she should be very thankful she didn’t have to be stuck with horrible fashion styles that were around when she was having Pharah… or the lack there of).  She felt a bit guilty that she was growing out of them so quickly.

Then again….. technically the twins were farther along than twenty weeks.  At least, from a gestational stand point.

That was other thing . The other unforeseen side effect of donning her Valkyrie suite for so long and so often.  Besides slowing down her ownaging, somehow the twins were growing at a slightly accelerated rate.  Not insanely or supernaturally fast, but every test her and Winston had run had proven they were consistently three weeks ahead of any  normal development.

Mercy had gone back and doubled, even tripled checked her math, but it was hard to mistake the night that led to all of this.  It was enough of an oddity that even though there had been no other complications, both of them agreed to err on the side of caution and treat her as a usual High-risk case and closely monitor her and the babies’ progress.  

Angela huffed and braced one hand against her lower back as the other started rubbing circles along her upper right side, hoping to dislodge whoever decided to jam themselves between her spleen and ribcage. She waddled over to her stainless steel work station by the large glass wall that ran the length of the room and looked out into the hallway between her and the panoramic windows that viewed  the deep shimmering blue waters of the Alboran Sea.  She picked up the tablet she had left there and pulled up her own medical file, along with half- a- screen’s worth of notifications of upcoming appointments and tests.  The lab results from her latest round of blood tests had just come in; most of her levels were fine, except her iron levels which were a tad little low (Angela rolled her eyes at that. Of course, Jesse’s spawn would be as obsessed with red meat as their father.)

She quickly scrolled through the rest of the results, then sent them and the reminded of her next ultrasound away with a flick of her fingers before pulling up several medical files and the list of Overwatch agents who she still had to hound down for the yearly physical.  Thankfully, a majority of the list was already highlighted in bright blue, but there were still a handful of names in red ---and most of those she didn’t even need to look at to know who was dragging their feet to the medical wing.

Let’s see…..Genji came in for his exam Monday, so he’s done. Hanzo was on time, as always.  Lena is tomorrow—I’ll need to remind Winston about that.   Mercy tapped Tracer’s name and informed Athena to let her fellow scientist know about his needed assistance.

“Shall I also remind Winston that it is time for his exam as well, Dr. Ziegler?” The AI suggested helpfully.

Mercy laughed, “No, I don’t think that will be necessary.  I’ll just recruit Lena to help me hold him down, you know how he can be.”

The AI let out a slightly computerized sigh, “Unfortunately, all too well I’m afraid.”

I will  probably have to drag Torbjorn here myself after lunch next week …And I will probably have to ask Ana , Pharah, and Brigette to help with Reinhart, The doctor sighed as she turned back to her list, her fingers  briefly hovering over the names that were blocked out in black---- the white lettering spelling out the identities as sharp and finite as a row of marble headstones on a dark lawn.  The files had been pulled over with the rest when Athena had backed up the old medical records from the original Overwatch.

Gerard Lacroix --- Deceased

Jack Morrison --- Deceased

Gabriel Reyes --- Deceased

Ana’s name had also recently been shrouded in the mournful color, but she had given her blessing to correct the outdated file. Her active status was now in the same bright cobalt blue as her daughter’s name near the top --- although, she had objected to also having her “Captain” title receiving the same treatment.

“I’m retired now, malak. These old bones aren’t fit to keep babysitting you brats all the time. Just leave me in the back with the rest of the old timers, and we’ll bail you kids out when you’ve finished having your fun.”

“76” on the other hand refused to go by any other name---- no matter how hard Angela or the others tried to convince him to reconsider, the old solider stubbornly refused to budge.

“The commander of Overwatch died at the Swiss base.  If you want him, you can find him six feet under his tombstone in Arlington.”

As for the last two names….. well… despite their best advancements and research even science couldn’t truly bring back the dead.

And even then……….. Angela was not sure she would ever cross that line.  She had toed it with Genji, even the very reasoning behind her own nanotechnology research flirted with that perilous edge …

But sometimes, the line between Man and God was drawn for a reason, and the price that asked was just too much to handle. You could make life, mend it, repair it if need be ----but you could not return light to a candle that no longer had a wick to burn.

Enough of that, Ziegler. Angela shook her head to clear her thoughts, and leave the past where it was supposed to be.  She scrolled through the rest of the names until she came to one very familiar name that she wasn’t surprised was still in red.  

“What am I going to do with him?” Angela sighed and tapped opened the file, so focused that she missed the metallic jingle of spurs and confident clomp cowboy boots sneaking up behind her.

“Boo.”

Angela jumped in surprise when two arms grabbed her from behind and that mischievous, honey-whiskey -warm voice smirked against the back of  her ear.  She shot a pointed look over her shoulder ( which lacked any real bite), but Jesse just greeted her with one of his charming smiles---- completely unapologetic as he leaned down and placed a kiss on the back of her shoulder as both of his hands drifted down to the sides of her stomach.  

“How’re y’all doin’?”  

Angela could feel his warm chuckle and smile against her skin when he felt one of the twins jab at the underside of his human palm,  “Well, that one definitely takes after me. Not even out yet, and already tryin’ to start a fight.”

Angela rolled her eyes, but there was smile on her face as she turned her head and kissed his cheek. He had trimmed his beard a little bit from the wild bush he had during his vigilante days, and his hair was back to the style he had it during the prime of his days in Blackwatch .  It was still unkempt and disheveled as ever, but Angela has always liked that length on him. And Jesse said he finally got sick having it stick to the back of his neck in the blistering heat and finding beard hairs in his whiskey.

“Did you just get back?” She could still smell the salt, sea spray, and limestone of Ilios on him, along with a bit of gunpowder and a little bit of nicotine.   Jesse had reluctantly agreed to cut back on the smoking when they decided to try to start a family (only because she had  threatened that he would have to bunk with Genji , Hanzo and Zenyatta  for the next  eighteen  years  if he so much as thought about lighting up around her or the children) , but when he was out on assignment he still smoked at a cigar or two. Mercy was at least grateful he wasn’t smoking a pack a day anymore.

He had cut back on drinking too. Genji had mostly been the one to thank for that----he and Zenyatta had been helping Jesse slowly deal with his demons over the last year and a half.  For the youngest Shamada, it was the least he could do for his former Blackwatch brother and very dear friend, and the two now had a bond that went deeper than just former coworkers.

It was nice to see both of them smile so easily again.

Eventually, the two of them ganged up on her;  and while she originally dug in her heels and refused to acknowledge the parts of  her that she shoved and locked away in deep  into the shadows, far away from anyone else (her failures, her regrets , guilt and blame and what ifs)  ……it didn’t take a neuro scientist to know that something besides her work or adjustments to her suit was keeping her awake all night. And her heart was so much lighter for it.

“Just docked”,Jesse pressed another kiss against her shoulder before lifting his head a bit and resting his chin there with a deep content hum, “Figured I’d hide out here for a bit before having to face the paperwork.” He wrapped his arms under her stomach to pull her into his warmth, “Don’t think I’ll be able to keep doing this for much longer. What are ya feedin’ these kids ,Angie?”

Angela smacked his arm ,”Burgers and sriracha. And I wonder who I can thank for that.”

“Hey, don’t pick on me. I remember those paper bags you tried hiding under your desk,’ Miss McDonalds’.”

“It was Wendy’s.” Angela said automatically, not even phased about Jesse calling her out on her old guilty pleasure.

“Yeaaaaaaaahh,” Jesse drawled out with a lazy smirk that she could feel curl against her neck , “ but you’re gonna be stuck with a bunch ol McCrees so I figured it was more fitting.”

“Who said they were going to be “McCrees”?”

Angela had to bite down on her tongue from laughing as the charming “I’m winning this round” smirk slipped right off the gunslinger’s face.

“That ain’t very nice, Angel. Don’t be mean.”

“I am not being mean,” Angela had to try very to keep her voice clinical and matter-of-fact , instead of breaking out into the giggles that tickled in her throat. She knew it wasn’t nice to tease him like this, but it was cute when he pouted. “Technically, we are not married so—“

“And you told me you didn’t want that right now,” Jesse pulled away, and Angela knew instantly that she went too far.   Frustration mixed with the jet lag and three sleepless nights of clearing out stubborn Talon agents from Greek ruins that lined the cowboy’s shoulders, giving him a wounded look that was worse than any bullet to her heart.

She knew without asking what his plan had been the moment he stepped on to the helipad---- a nice cold drink, kick off those dumb boots, and to spend the rest of a quite afternoon with the woman and mother of his children who had basically stolen his heart almost twenty-two years ago.  

“ I offered it to you, but you said it wasn’t necessary. That is just a dumb piece of pa----“

Angela swallowed the rest of his argument by reaching out and pulling his head down to kiss him sweetly, putting a cooling balm on his temper.  He seemed to have gotten the message because his shoulders instantly relaxed under her hands as his went to her widened hips and he shook his head with a gravely sigh, “I really don’t like how easily you can get under my skin like that sometimes, woman.”

She shook her head and gave him another kiss before pulling back and reaching up to apologetically smooth back his hair, pushing back a laugh when he tried to puller closer but her stomach got in the way, “ No, that was a terrible attempt of a joke. I shouldn’t have said it.”

Jesse had always been the more emotional one between them; the sentimental, passionate, and sweet parts of their relationship --- a simmering slow southern day outside of Sante Fe. Even after all these years, she still had trouble accepting that when Jesse McCree loved you  he did it absolutely, openly,  and without holding anything back----it was all or nothing for him.

When she thought back on it, Angela realized she never stood a chance.

For Jesse, a ring and wedding was more than just a tradition.  It wasn’t a claim on her, or a way “to keep her an honorable woman” and their children from being born under questionable circumstances or the hundreds of other reasons people have married for over the thousands and thousands of years of human history.

It was a promise. One of the most important ones he could ever give, besides his oath to Reyes and Amari when they offered him a rank in Overwatch ----a chance to do something worthwhile and good.

Angela just didn’t know if she was worthy of that promise just yet.  

She still had moments where she worried if she could do this.  If they could really could do this. That whisp of doubt that had spread and thrived in the shadow of the ruins and rubble of the old Overwatch.  In the shadow of her every regret and helplessness and weakness when everything she held dear crumbled right through her fingers. The one thing she could never heal and fix.  

Those names flickered in her mind again.

....The names of those she failed to support.

But, she was more than willing to try.

As silly, confounding, confusing, reckless, and dramatic as her cowboy was ----she never really thought the idea of spending the rest of her life question her sanity around him sounded bad. Even back before the old Swiss base had been nothing but a pile of bitter-sweet memories, secrets, and rubble. Before they had answered Winston’s recall……and then decided to try to pick up the pieces each of them had been carefully tucking away during the years in between.

They weren’t puzzle pieces that fit together, but------

“ I think McCree is a lovely name,” Angela hummed as she pressed her lips to his cheek, just along the curve of the dark circles under his right eye, “ I also think you should have gotten more sleep. No offense, Jesse, but you look dead on your feet. And I am the doctor who is pregnant with twins.”

The cowboy gave a resigned sigh and sank down into a nearby chair, pulling her with him and across his lap since his arms had tried to find their way around her waist again. She placed her tablet down on the counter and shifted to make herself more comfortable, placing her hands over his as they followed the faint movements of the twins hands, knees, elbows, and etc  pressing against her sides.  “Just give this old cowboy a few minutes, Ange.  I missed you somethin’ fierce out there,” He muttered against her skin as he rested his forehead against her shoulder again.

“You really should be taking better care of yourself.”

The gunslinger gave a soft chuckle at the old scolding that had lost its intentional bite years ago, “Acknowledged”.

Angela knew Jesse had a terrible time sleeping when he was away on assignment these days;  which was more than unusual because she couldn’t think of a place at the Swiss base where someone had not seen him napping with his hat over his face and his boots probed up on a random surface. It would not have  be long before said hat was slapped off, and he was dragged off by his ear  for laps by a very grumbly Gabriel Reyes to burn off all that extra energy he had obviously been storing up.

“And just what are you smiling about?”

Mercy came out of the past, and shook her head at Jesse who was watching her with an amused smile before she settled against his him with her head on his shoulder, “ Nothing, just some silly memories. I can prescribe  you some minor sleep aids if you think that would help.”

The main reason for Jesse restlessness out on the field was because when his mind didn’t have to be focused on a gunfight, it was right back here with her and the twins.  It wasn’t so bad in the beginning, but as her pregnancy progressed the little fear of something happening when he might be several time zones away kept knawing itself a nice little home at the back of his mind---- like a mouse chewing its way through a baseboard.

Nightly phone calls and face -time sessions helped reassure him that Talon had not attacked the base,  Hana had not accidentally shut down the entire power grid by rigging up a super computer for gaming, and Winston did not turn her or the children into a tubs of peanut butter ( “………have you been drinking with Winhelm and Torbjorn again?”  “……No, but I did have some kind of weird Japanese fish dish Genji made.” )

Even then ,Hanzo had taken up  Mercy’s position of McCree’s common sense out on the field --- taking away the gunslinger’s phone so the bright LED screen didn’t give away their position when he kept checking in every five minutes as bullets whizzed by their heads.

Jesse gave a tired sigh as he raised his head and rest his chin on the crown of her head as he drew in closer, “I’ll be fine. I just need you and our bed , and maybe a hot toddy to dull the edge. I’m home now, that’s all that matters.”

Home.  After how many years that word did hurt to think about anymore.  

The two of them stayed like that for a while. Forgetting about emails and exams and desks full of paperwork, and just trying to enjoy this moment of absolute suspended moment of peace like a sip of Angela’s homemade hot chocolate or Jesses favorite aged whiskey.

If she closed her eyes she could almost smell the air of the Swiss alpines again, feel concrete lightly bite the backs of her thighs and the warm weight of a young gunslinger’s arm and serape around her shoulders as her knees dangled over the side of roof while  she and Jesse watched the sun rise over the base.  Watching as the light and sky started out deep and rich and slowly turned golden, blinding and bright.

Almost….. if it weren’t the constant movement jostling her insides.

“They don’t like keeping still, do they?”, Jesse grinned, his hands were tracking them across her stomach again,  eagerly moving from her sides and resting just below her navel now. He looked down at her, eyes lined with jet lagged and some residual signs of his drinking and smoking lifestyle--- but still the same soft and lively molten brown she first seen at seventeen.  

“Sounds like someone else I know,” Angela tilted her head up and teasingly nipped the tip of his nose.  

“ Hmmm….. How long are you goin’ to be cooped up in here? I was thinking you, me, some nice seared steak and pasta, and ---“

“If you even think about mentioning another one of your western movies again, Jesse, I am just going stay here and sleep in one of the med bay beds tonight.”

“…….Well, now who’s jumping the gun? I was goin’ to suggest that one old timey pirate movie Ana use to play all the time during break nights.”

“…….I’m sure you were, cowboy.”

Jesse held his hands up in surrender, “Alright, alright. You get to pick the movie tonight. Just don’t make it one of those boring educational flicks again. I’d like to be able stay awake with you tonight.”

“You liked the last few I’ve selected,” Angela pointed out, rubbing at her side to calm down whichever twin was unhappy bout suddenly being ignored.

“Yeah, well one of those was about those murders in Victorian London.  Of course that’s going to keep my interest.  But seriously Angie, as much as I want to know about what’s going on with you  and the kids, ��� The Gestational Process and Bonding  of the Human Species  ; From Conception to Birth And Beyond”  isn’t exactly what I would call a “date night movie”.”

“……That is a fair point,” Angela relented, “ I just thought you would like it since you have pretty much checked out every single book we have about pregnancy in the library, and have  hounded Ana,Torbjorn, Winston and I with questions.  You even had Hanzo buy them for you in town.”

She watched as her cowboy turned a nice shade of pink under his beard, “ ….You weren’t supposed to know about that.”

“Jesse….” Angela chucked endearingly as she brushed his hair out of his eyes, “ Libeling, it’s been kind of hard not to.  But, it is sweet ----- a bit annoying sometimes, but it’s been a pleasant surprise.”

Jesse looked down at his hands, which had gone back to her middle, gently circling his thumb over the back of her hands. His voice was soft, almost unsure, like he was slowly trying to figure out an new language and did not want to mince up the words “ …..I’m just a fish out of water with all of this. I never thought I would ever have a shot at something like this. That it wasn’t in the cards for me with the shit show our lives became after everything.   But, God, did I want …… I don’t deserve an inch of you ,Ange. I  sure didn’t back then and I’m not sure I do----“

Angela kissed him before the raw emotion leaking into his voice broke both of them in two.  It was safe to say this was uncharted territory for both of them; two orphans who only had faded fragments of their own parents and a mismatch patchwork quilt they called family that had been made, ripped and repaired over the years as a reference.

There were a thousand things she wanted to tell him right then, but she would save that for when they were not surrounded by the cold, sterile, and professional environment of the med bay and her office.  She wanted to be wrapped up in one of his flannel shirts and his arms first.

“I do have something for you,”  She reached for her tablet and pulled up the file she had been saving for when he got back.

Jesse groaned the second end moved her arm, “ Angel…look, I know I’m due for that blasted checkup, but do you really—“

“You can relax, it’s not your physical. ..Yet.  I will be getting you for that later,” Angela handed him the tablet and watched as one of his eye brows raised at the sight of her name and date of birth at the top of the page. She offered him a sheepish smile, “ I know you wanted to be there, but I’m afraid Winston got the dates mixed up.  No one else knows about it yet…..but I thought it would be a nice surprise for you when you got back.”

She could barely hide her excitement  as his eyes flitted down past all the medical information and jargon the he did not understand, and landed on the one part of the report that was impossible to mistake.  She had to bite down on the corner of her lip to keep from beaming at him when his brown eyes went wide and looked between her, the tablet and back again. It was one of the few time she had seen the bombastic cowboy struck speechless,  “ …Both?”

Angela nodded, finally letting herself smile,“ Both. One of each. I guess that means we’re done after this.”

But,Jesse seemed to have missed her joke as he quickly set the tablet back down and demanded to know which twin was where. Angela laughed as she guided the one hand to where their son was trying to cozy up to her ribs again, and the other to where their daughter has kicked his hand earlier.  “ They do move , but I think that’s where they are for the most part, “ Angela titled her head as she took in the suddenly  serious look crossing on Jesse’s face that he only got when he was trying to whip a strategy during a mission , “Is something the matter, Libeling?”

“….. Figuring out how much I’m gonna have to stock up on ammo for when they get older. Maybe finally talk Torb into installing that finger gu-”

“Jesse Leon McCree!” Angela’s glare cut through his thought faster than one of her laser- guided scalpels, “For the last time, I am not installing finger guns into your prosthetic!”

“I didn’t say you, now did I?”

“ Torbjorn won’t do it either. I already warned him I would revoke his honorary grandfather card if I ever caught him with schematics.”

“ Awwwww, come on! That ain’t fair, Angel!” Jesse whined. “ How else am I supposed to scare idots away from little Annie when she gets older?”

“Are you thrity-nine or nine…? And I am sure you will come up with something. Also, we are not naming out children after wild- west outlaws.”

“…Dam.. I was sittin’ on that one for a while,” Jesse looked at her again, “ What about-“

“No.”

Jesse jutted out his lower lip and looked at her with those big puppy gold-brown eyes that had been bane of her existence for the last twenty- something years.  ….But, she would be lying to herself if said she wasn’t at least a little bit happy that genetics promised that there was a very good chance at their children would have his eyes as well.

“Fineeeeeeeee,” Jesse sighed when he realized he wasn’t going to win their  little stalemate, although there is more than a hint of a whine to it, “What about “Fenrir” for the boy then?  That’s something you’ve always liked.”

“Oh mein got!” Angela rolled her eyes, “Out of all the Norse myths I have told you, of course that’s the one you remember.”

“What? We could call him “Fen”,” Jesse pointed out innocently.  

“You do remember that Loki is the one who gave birth to him, don’t you?”, Angela pointed out with a sigh, “ Only you would want to name your son after the eater of the world and killer of Odin? How about “Tyr”?” She tapped  her finger nail against the scared- up skull engraved into the metal plating of his bionic arm. “The god of Justice. That seems a bit more fitting. “

Jesse watched her hand with a little smirk as he leaned his head against her shoulder again. They might have been playfully arguing about names, but she had never seen him look so content.  The look in his expression said it all… ….he held his entire world in his arms.  “Eh, it’s not as cool. Any kid of ours is going to be hell –in- a- hand basket and an angel all-in-one, they need a name goes with it.”

“I think it’s just in your nature to -- how do you Americans say it----“  Go Big or Go Home”?” Angela laughed as Jesse gently, but playfully pulled her closer against his chest, his hands resting on her hip as his lips grinned against her forehead and his beard tickling between her eyes

“Yep ,sounds like me. I’ve always dreamed big---- how else could I have gotten as lucky to end up with someone like you? You don’t get chosen by an angel just by waiting around and twiddling your thumbs.”

Angela rolled her eyes as she shifted in the cowboy’s lap as their daughter let her know she didn’t like being squished between them by trying to kick elbow her pancreas. Jesse’s hands instantly went to the spot and circled his fingers to apologize.

They were going to be fine.

“Well…..I do have one name in mind… ,”Angela hesitated.  She wasn’t quite sure how Jesse would react to her suggestion. She still didn’t know how she completely felt about it.  

It had started as a little idea that had just popped up in the back of her mind the moment the blood tests had confirmed everything, like one of the single little cells their children had started out as.  At first, she just shook it off as an impossible notion, just the increasing hormones her body being annoying ; but like Jesse, it just hunkered down and refused to budged until she begrudgingly paid attention to it.

It was name that had weight to it, memories and heartbreak. But, she knew it was a name that meant a lot to Jesse… and even herself and many others in their little rag tag family.  And the more she had thought about it, each week the name just sounded a little more right.  Her mind went back to the list of names of those she had failed to save.  

You could not return life to can candle that no longer had a wick , but the scent of the wax would always linger.

“Gabriel.”

She carefully watched his face as her stomach squirmed in a way that had nothing to do with her tumbling twins or morning sickness.  It only took a few moments, but it felt life time as she watched the confusion on his face melt into surprise then something so soft and speechless that she wasn’t sure if she wanted to smile or cry herself.

For now she would blame it on the hormones.

“I like it, Darlin’,” His voice was soft, like a warm camp-fire on a cool night as he reached up and tucked her side swept bang behind her ear. “ … Thank you.”  

She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand as his callused and tanned finger s trailed over her cheek, still the same as they had always been despite all the years.  They still felt like home.

“There is nothing to thank me for, Liebling. “

“…. I still want Fen as a first name though.”

Angela gave a heavy sigh, Andddddddd there went the moment,“ Do not make me kick you out of my office .“

Jesse just gave her another smug and charming smirk that made his right eye twinkle, “Gotta come up with a better bluff than that, Sugarbee. I’m your favorite pillow.”

“Well, since you are here ,Darlin..” She drawled a little too innocently , “ I do have a long list of overdue shots with your name on it.”

The cowboy blanched and Angela just gave him his smirk right back before breaking down into a smile and leaning forward to kiss him as he huffed against her mouth and pulled her as close as her stomach would allow. “ Woman, I swear there is devil in those angel eyes sometimes.”

No, they were not puzzle pieces that fit perfectly together ---  there were too many broken edges that had been worn and dented over the years.  They were more like pieces of a shattered glass that had been put together into a mosaic.  Something that was a little old and new at the same time , fractured and whole…  and made something  wonderful and beautiful when the light shone through.

[dwsecretsanta]

Of Stars and Wolves

Of Stars and Wolves

Alright, so this is for the Doctor Who Secret Santa over on tumblr. @darklordpthalo, this is for you.

I don’t own Doctor Who or anything really. @darklordpthalo wanted a soulmate AU, a shapeshifter AU, or a kiss under the stars so the idea for this fic goes to them. I just ran with it. I hope they enjoy this.

Words: 6,625 Author: @magewriter

Shapeshifters always had soulmates. It was a universal fact. Admittedly, said soulmate was not always a shifter. Non-shifters had soulmates, but theirs were nowhere near as vitally important to their overall wellbeing as it was for shifters. Humans were seemingly perfectly happy to settle, even as obsessed as they were with soulmates. For them, it was only a matter of a completed image on their skin as a ‘soulmate’ for a normal human was not always a romantic mate. A shifter’s soulmate always was. There could be no other for them, not in that way.

That, however, was not a problem Rose Tyler ever thought she would have to worry about. Her entire family, from both parents as far back as anyone could remember, had always been shifters. It wasn’t an uncommon trait. About a third of the world’s population was of some Shapeshifter lineage. Probably more, but who was or wasn’t a shifter was not always apparent and it was considered rude to ask.

She was musing over those thoughts as she watched the man she thought might just be her soulmate. Rose had come across him nearly two months ago, but had not managed to gather the courage to approach him. Instead, she used her free time in the afternoon to watch him in the park (when he showed up, he didn’t always) and try to understand why else she might be drawn to him if he wasn’t her soulmate.

“Moping again?” Mickey said, sitting beside her on the bench Rose had taken possession of in the small park near the university. He called it ‘moping’ because otherwise he’d have to term it ‘stalking’, and that could very well end up in a fight.

“I’m not moping,” Rose protested. “And aren’t you supposed to be meeting Martha?”

“How’d you think I found you?” He pointed to the nearest tree where a Barn Own sat, glaring at Rose.

Rose waved at the owl. “Couldn’t use your own nose to find me?”

“And nearly get dragged to the pound again?” Mickey shivered in distaste. To get out of that, he’d had to transform, naked, in the tiny little cell the dog catchers had shoved him into.

“Wouldn’t happen if you wore the collar like your Gran said to.” Rose said, getting up. “Give me her clothes so she can shift back.” She snatched the bag he’d been carrying even as he protested the thought of wearing a collar.

A few moments later, both young women returned to the bench. Martha was finger combing her hair back into a pony tail.

“Next time,” she told her boyfriend, “it’s your turn to track her down. I can’t skip hours at the hospital like I can skip out of class.”

“Martha, you didn’t need to do that.” Rose told her. “It isn’t like I was lost or anything. Mickey could have just called my phone.” She held up said object. “Fully charged and everything.”

Mickey blushed. “I forgot mine at home.” He admitted. “And it’s not like you would’ve answered. You’ve been ignoring your phone for the past two weeks, always around now.”

“He has a point,” Martha agreed, perching herself on the back of the bench as she spoke. Rose might have been the gymnast, but she was the one who was part bird. Martha’s whole family could shift into avian form, including her siblings’ mates. Hers was the only owl though, just as Mickey was the only non-avian.

“Yeah, and we’re concerned.”

“Curious ya mean,” Rose corrected him with a role of her eyes.

She adored her friends. She thought they were wonderful for each other. Martha didn’t look down on them for coming from a Council Estate or their lack of higher education. She had been jealous of Rose at first, thinking that she was going to be competition for Mickey’s attention. Rose had solved that quickly, happily shoving her oldest friend into the other woman’s arms with a ‘he is house broken; just don’t leave out any tennis balls’ before she scarpered off to her mother’s for the weekend.

It did not mean that she was going to indulge their curiosity. Not when they had taken it upon themselves to try and help her find her soulmate.

“Can you blame us?” Martha questioned her. “It’s not your usual style Rose, especially when not even Jack can find out where you disappeared off to and he always knows.”

“No, Ianto always knows and just tells him,” Rose corrected, almost absently.

There was a thought. Jack was the one shifter she knew personally that had a soulmate who wasn’t also a shifter. Jack was a literal alley cat; at least he had been until falling into Ianto’s lap. Again, literally as he’d been out roaming when Jackie had scared him off the railing of Rose and Mickey’s shared apartment (another reason Martha had thought she needed to be jealous) and Ianto had caught him.

However, Jack was also her boss along with being her friend so that made it a little awkward. He would also be an even worse meddler than Mickey and Martha. Gods, he’d also be the one to mention it to her mother and then Jackie Tyler would be prowling around the park to sniff out the potential soulmate of her only child.

Rose didn’t need or want that. She wasn’t even sure why she was being so hesitant in approaching the man, other than the fact he was occasionally accompanied by several different women. She also had no desire to be so very wrong about another man ever again, the first one had been more than enough.

“Oh, hey, that’s John!” Martha stood, precariously balanced on the back of the bench now, to wave the man over.

“You mean the bloke who managed to blow up the table in your chemistry class?” Mickey asked, moving just enough so that she was balancing more on his shoulders than the bench.

“The one and only,” she replied with a grin.

Neither one of them noticed that Rose’s faced had paled a little, or that her normal smile had tightened. Then again, it would be her luck that the mystery guy she’d been eyeing for weeks now would be known to her friend.

“Who’s that with him?” Mickey asked as the man bounced over to them, leaving his female companion to trail behind him.

“Oi! Spaceman!” The very loud ginger yelled, “wait up you over-eager puppy!”

“But Donna! It’s Martha!” John answered cheerily. “Hi Martha! Who are your friends?”

Martha grinned. She had had a very brief crush on John Noble when she had first met him, before realizing that he was absolutely insane and she much preferred someone more down to Earth. His sister Donna was fun and understood just how insane and overwhelming her brother could be.

“This is my boyfriend Mickey Smith and our friend Rose Tyler. Hi Donna, what’s he dragged you into this time?”

“He thinks an absolutely enormous wolf has moved into the park. He dragged me along for a second witness.” Donna answered, hugging Martha briefly. They had met before, several times as it was Donna’s ‘job’ to sign her brother out of the infirmary. They had taken to exchanging stories about his antics, as Martha had (during her crush phase) allowed John to drag her around London and occasionally the nearby counties on ‘adventures’.

“An enormous wolf, huh?” Mickey asked, eyeing his oldest friend. The only reason Rose wouldn’t be picked up the dog catchers would be because they’d call out the wild life rescue instead. He really did not want to have to explain to Jackie that they needed to go pick Rose up from whatever sanctuary or woodland animal control dragged her to.

“Yep,” John nodded, grin still plastered to his face. “I’ve only seen it twice so far, so I wonder if it’s more nocturnal or a shifter out for a run, but still!”

Martha looked between the two. John, for all he was talking to them, was looking at Rose as if she was the only person there to speak to. Rose was being quiet, but Martha was certain her friend had just the slightest of blushes beginning to cover her cheeks.

“It is lunch hour, so maybe the shifter idea isn’t so far off.” Martha agreed. So, Rose had been wondering around the park in wolf form, had she? Interesting…as Rose typically didn’t transform within city limits unless she was inside the apartment or at The Playground.

“Lunch! Right! We were supposed to get lunch today!” John looked at his sister, just now remembering why Donna had come to drag him out of his privet lab.

“Now you remember,” Donna rolled her eyes again. She looked at her watch. “Almost too late now.”

“Chips,” Rose suggested, speaking for the first time. “There’s a chippy nearby, we could go there.”

“Great!” John nodded, attention now back on the pretty blonde he’d been seeing for several weeks now. He’d been curious about her ever since he had first seen her, but had never gotten up the courage to actually speak to her.

She had shown up just after the first time he had seen the wolf. He thought it an odd coincidence, but it wasn’t as if he could just ask. That would be rude. He knew he was rude, very rude and very not ginger (no, Donna had all the luck there), but he’d only made that mistake once. He wasn’t that oblivious to make the same mistake twice. Plus, what if he was wrong? Then it would be doubly rude.

“Great,” Rose smiled at him, relaxing a little.

Mickey rolled his eyes this time. “Come on then, Jake’s waiting for me to get back to the shop and Martha’s got to get back to class.”

“Right, and my lunch break’s nearly over. Get a move on it Spaceman.”

“Going Earth Girl,” John retorted, dodging the slap his sister aimed for the back of his head. “Sisters! Really!”

Rose giggled at their antics. “Come on then, I’ll show you the way.”

Almost as if they’d planned it, the other three watched as they clasped hands. Rose tugged, beginning to lead John towards the chippy she’d told them of.

“Ten pounds says they figure it by the weekend,” Mickey said.

Donna snorted. “You’re on, twenty on it taking at least my brother a month before he figures it out.”

Martha shook her head at them. “Two weeks,” she entered her bet. “And I’m not telling Jackie or Jack.”

“I’m not telling them!” Mickey protested. “That’s Rose’s job.”

“Think they noticed if we went elsewhere for lunch?” Donna asked them.

“Nope,” Mickey shrugged. “Babe, you wanna go to that sushi place you keep mentioning?”

“Sure, coming Donna?”

“Might as well, although I think I’ll pass on the sushi. There’s a burger place right next to it.” Donna headed off, the pair following behind her.

XXXXXX

“Um…” John looked sheepishly at his turned out pockets. “I think I left my wallet in my lab.” So much for him buying lunch…or being a gentleman and paying for Rose’s as well.

Rose had to duck her head to keep from laughing at his face. He looked so cute like that!

“I’ll buy, but next time it’s your turn.” She said, handing over the money to the cashier.

“Ok!” John agreed, smile back on his face. “So…Miss Tyler, what do you do all day besides sit in the park?”

“I work,” she commented, grinning.

“What kind of work?”

“Detective work mostly,” she admitted, “My friend Jack, he’s a PI. I help out him and his partner Ianto doing odd bits.”

“Oh, what kind of odd bits?” John took the basket of fish and chips Rose held out for him, following her to a nearby table.

“Sketches, photos, occasionally climbing into dumpsters or over fences,” or following scent trails or chasing down a culprit or a myriad of other things that her wolf form was useful for, not that she was going to tell him that the first time they spoke. “Occasionally I play Girl Friday to his James Bond, Ianto’s a bit too proper for that role although he does look good in a suit.”

John frowned…that sounded…oh! “You wouldn’t happen to mean Jack Harkness would you?”

“I do, you know him?” Rose was curious now. First Martha, now Jack?

John nodded. “We were friends growing up; he flirted a lot with both me and Donna. Had Donna going spare for a bit, leaving black cat hair everywhere and occasionally showing up naked.”

Rose snorted. “Yea, he still does that. Ianto’s got lint rollers hid all over the office, along with spare clothing. First time my Mum met him, she threated to neuter him if he didn’t learn some proper manners. She also scared him off mine and Mickey’s balcony once, landed him right in Ianto’s lap.”

“You live with Mickey?” John was a little confused. Martha had introduced the young man as her boyfriend. Why would he be living with Rose?

“Yeah, we’ve been friends forever and when he was offered an apprenticeship for mechanic at a shop here I came with him to be closer to where I worked at the time. That and he needed a roommate he could trust. Martha lives with us too, now.” Rose explained. “Our apartment is closer to the university than the one she was renting or her mum’s house.”

John nodded, relived although he wasn’t altogether certain why. It made sense, after all. That was why he and Donna had shared an apartment when they had first left Chiswick.

“So what do you do then?” Rose said, changing the subject.

“Oh, I’m a doctor!” He replied. “Not the kind of doctor Martha’s going to be, but astrophysics and astronomy and regular physics and a little bit of chemistry and biology and some other stuff.”

“Wow,” Rose wasn’t really certain how to respond to that. She didn’t even have any A-Levels, never mind a university degree. “I like the stars,” she managed to get out, “couldn’t see them very well on the estate, but that never stopped me from looking up. Drove Mum mad, sneaking up to the roof.”

John’s eyes brightened and he began to babble about his own misadventures of climbing roofs and sending his mother into hysterics. Rose took up the unspoken challenge and responded in kind until it was very clear that they had to be making things up.

“Okay, I give!” Rose finally said with a laugh. “I’ve never set anything on fire, accident or otherwise.”

“Occupational hazard with me,” John told her, basking in the sound of her laughter and enjoying the fact that he had brought it out. “I’m still banned from the kitchen, every kitchen, on campus. The only reason I’m still allowed into the labs is because I’m good with introductory chemistry classes. Teaching them, at least, and I’ve got my own lab.”

“You think you’re so impressive!” Rose said, smiling the tongue touched smile that she was well known for.

“I am so impressive I’ll have you know Rose Tyler!” John said, matching her smile with one of his own.

“Course you are,” she agreed before giggling.

John would have said something, but at that moment he caught sight of the nearest clock. “Blimy, it’s gotten late.”

Rose looked at her watch, blanching. “I was supposed to be back at work hours ago.” She looked at her phone, seeing that she had several missed calls from pretty much everyone in her small social circle.

“Ah, I could walk you back?” It wasn’t as if he had anything pressing at the lab. He was his own boss, aside from when he had classes to teach.

Rose shook her head. As nice as the thought was, it wasn’t needed.

“No, Jack’s already texted me to have fun.” Rose showed him her phone, where Jack had sent a message to that affect. “Besides, they’ve already closed up for the day. It’s date night for them.”

Jack would just grill her tomorrow about this. Rose was both dreading it and looking forward to it. If she was wrong, it would be just another heartbreak. If she were right though…it could still end in heart break. Donna might have been his sister, but what of the other women she had seen him with? Surely one of them was his girlfriend?

John nodded. “Well then Miss Tyler, what would you like to do?” He paused. Well, that was presumptuous of him, wasn’t it? “I mean, unless you want to leave? Or, uh, you’d rather not…” he was terribly bad at this.

“Let’s go Doctor,” Rose stood and took his hand, feeling brave at the moment. “I’ll walk you back to your lab.”

“Ok,” as if he was going to say no to spending more time with her!

XXXXXXXX

Once she arrived back at her apartment, Rose locked herself in her room. Throwing herself on the bed, she hugged one of the pillows to her chest. Of all the blokes in the world, she would find the oddest of the bunch.

John had kept up an ongoing commentary on their walk back to his lab. He could babble like no one she had ever met, and it had been fascinating for all that there were times what he said flew over her head. She was pretty certain he had invited her to go stargazing out in the country, something about shooting stars and how the city had terrible views for anything cosmic.

Rose was just as certain that she had said she would join him amidst her amusement at his energy. She hadn’t been out of the city in over a year. It would be nice to really have the chance to stretch her legs. The Playground and various parks throughout the city were well and good, but were honestly better suited for the more domesticated Shifters like Mickey and her mother.

That brought up an entirely different set of concerns. How would John feel when he found out? She had to tell him, obviously. There wasn’t a thing wrong with being a Shifter or not, and despite what some people would say there was absolutely nothing wrong with being part of a mixed couple.

It wasn’t as if it was some kind of secret thing. It was rude to announce it or ask outright, but there was nothing secret about it.

Rose gave a long sigh, getting up to strip so she could shift. Once in wolf form, she curled back up onto the bed. With a little bit of maneuvering, she had fully covered herself with her blanket and created a nest of pillows. Warm and comfortable, she turned her thoughts to the real reason why she was so reluctant.

Jimmy Stone.

Fifteen years old, she had been an idiot. He had been older, sure of himself, and able to convince her that they were a perfect match. His mark had never been a match for hers, but even though he was also a Shifter he had sounded so certain that it didn’t actually matter. He had made her head spin with dreams of travel and running free in different parts of the world.

As humans, he had been bigger than her. She had been convinced she was in love with him so had until the very end never thought of turning her beast side upon him. The one and only outright beating he had given her (instead of the usual sharp words and occasional slap or kick) had changed that. Jimmy was a canine shifter, but he was nothing more than a yappy mongrel compared to her Red Wolf.

It was after that incident (she hoped he still bore the scars from her claws across his face) that she had made the decision to never enter another committed relationship unless it was her soulmate. Her actual soulmate, the one who bore the mark that matched hers. Rose was never going to let another pretty face and sweet words convince her otherwise.

Now that she had potentially found him, it scared her. Humans didn’t have the same draw and ingrained loyalty to their soulmates that Shifters did. John could leave her and it wouldn’t harm him in the same way it would her.

Rose had seen it before. Her father died when she was a baby and her mother had never completely gotten over it. She had had boyfriends and lovers, but none that had ever stuck around. Other shifters might not mind a lover, but once they inevitable found their other half then they would be gone. Humans just didn’t understand, not really.

Martha’s dad, for instance, wasn’t a Shifter and had left her mother for a time. Aside from when her frustration reached a breaking point, Martha didn’t like to talk about it. Rose always knew when it was bad because those would be the days that the only one Martha wanted to be around was Mickey. There had been a whole week once where she had remained in owl form because she was tired of being in the middle of the fighting. Mickey had carried her around on his shoulder the entire time, curling up in dog form at night to sleep.

Both of a pair being Shifters didn’t always mean happiness and stability either. Again, her mother was a case in point. Rose had lost count of the number of times she had heard someone say that except for Rose, Jackie may very well have pined herself to death after Pete died. Jackie (who took the form of a Scottish Terrier) had always told Rose that losing a soulmate was one of the most difficult things one could go thru, but (and this was a very big ‘but’) it was not the end of all things. Jackie had never been one to simply give up and she had raised Rose to be the same way.

Mickey’s parents had been soulmates, but they hadn’t remained together. Mickey’s gran had taken him in, lambasting both her son and daughter-in-law for being fools. To this day Mickey didn’t speak to his father, and his mother had died when he was a teenager. Probably (as Jackie and Mickey’s gran were certain) of a broken heart, as uselessly romantic as that was (again, according to the two main adult figures in hers and Mickey’s lives).

So with all of that, Rose was apprehensive. She had not given up on finding her soulmate, just as she had never given up her dreams to travel. She was just a little more realistic about it now at nineteen then she had been at fifteen and sixteen.

Even so, she had had a good time today. Holding his hand as they walked, chatting about random topics and simply listening to him babble about whatever caught his fancy. He could talk for England, he could! Still, as long as he did it while holding her hand she was perfectly happy listening to him.

His hand had felt warm in hers. The few times he had dropped her hand in order to use both of his in his excitement over one topic of another her hand had felt cold, almost as if it would never be warm again. She had to imagine how it would feel to have his hands buried in her ruff or scratching her ears.

Rose startled, falling off the bed as it struck her. They had held hands! Skin to skin! Her mark!

Scrambling to her feet, Rose huffed in annoyance as her blanket den tightened around her. Shifting, she managed to escape with an impatient huff.

“Rose?” Martha called thru the door. They had heard her come in, but when she hadn’t said anything to them they had decided to leave it alone. With the noise now coming from the blonde’s room, however, they were concerned.

“Damn mirror!” Rose cursed. “I’m fine!”

Martha heard her muttering about where her mark was and a giggle escaped her. Hers and Mickey’s marks were on their forearms, easily seen. Rose’s, on the other hand, was in the middle of her right shoulder blade and took effort to see.

“Do you want some help?”

Mickey turned around just as Rose opened her door. He yelped and covered his eyes.

“Quite acting as if you’ve never seen me naked before,” Rose scolded at him, yanking a giggling Martha into her room.

“Still doesn’t mean I want to see it!” Mickey called back. They had learned to control their shifting together and had been closer than some siblings growing up. He waited a beat. “So? Is it any different?”

Martha came out of Rose’s room. She had a wide grin on her face.

“Verdict?” Mickey said, lacing his fingers through hers.

“Wolf paw within this spiral of dots,” Martha explained.

“Dots are new, any shape or just the spiral?” Mickey was glad his was so obvious, a wrench. He had always been good with his hands, and it had pleased him that his mark described him so well. It had gotten slightly more complicated when Martha’s quill had joined it, making it appear as if the quill were drawing the wrench.

His mate was a classy lady. He could easily imagine her dressed to the nines in some Victorian get up, writing with the owl feather quill pen in her neat cursive. Or Ravenclaw robes, which was even easier as they had all dressed up as Hogwarts students for Jack’s Halloween party the year before.

Martha shook her head. “No, but then I’ve never studied astronomy.” There was another thump from Rose’s room. “Think we’ll see her anytime tonight?”

“When her stomach reminds her that she needs to eat, or she wants coffee.” Mickey said. “Gonna call Donna?” He’d liked the ginger they’d eaten lunch with. “And does this mean I won the bet?”

XXXXXXX

“Donna! Donna you need to come see this!”

Donna groaned as she rolled over, yanking a pillow over her head to block out her brother’s voice. Maybe if she ignored him, he would give up. Not that that ever worked, but she could hope.

“Donna!” He whined. “This is important!”

“It’s always important with you Spaceman,” she said, sitting up to glare at him. “What time is it? And why are you naked in my doorway?” There were times she regretted agree to share an apartment with him.

“I’m in a towel,” he protested, tightening said towel around his waist. “I was getting out of the shower when I saw it and I –”

She cut him off. “If this is over another stupid spider I am going to hang your skinny arse from the balcony.” She told him as she got out of bed.

“One time Donna, that was one time!” He said, frowning. He dodged out of her way as she headed towards the bathroom.

“A cricket then? A mouse? I swear, if you’ve gone and ‘rescued’ the lab rats again I’m moving back to Mum’s.” Donna looked around the bathroom, not seeing anything out of place.

“I did that in secondary, and I was twelve.” He defended himself. “No, my mark Donna! Look at my mark!”

“Turn on a light then Spaceman,” she blinked in the sudden brightness. The things she did for her brother. “Well, turn around!”

John did, arching his neck as if he could bend it enough to look at his shoulder blade without the aid of a mirror or two. Donna had often teased him for the spiral of dots there with the big empty space in the center. He had always protested that they were stars in the form of a nebula if a person just knew how to look at it.

Now, the empty space was filed with a clawed paw print. It didn’t look like it was from a dog and it was much too large to be a cat. Donna frowned.

It struck her, then, that it had to be from a wolf. That was what her brother had been looking for in the park after all, and that park was a safe spot for Shifters to run around in while transformed. John probably hadn’t even realized it, but he’d been talking about the blonde girl he had seen almost as often as he’d spoken of the wolf. It was not a stretch, to Donna at least, to think they were one and the same.

“Do you see it?” John was beginning to bounce in place.

“I see it, and yes it really is there.” Donna assured him.

John blinked at her. “But I don’t…and usually I…”

Donna grinned at him. “No gloves Thursday, ran off without them when you were dragging me to the park.”

His eyes kept getting bigger as his brain put the pieces together. Damn it, but this meant that Mickey had won the bet. Donna had been certain her brother (who mostly ignored his mark and steadfastly kept himself covered in layers) would take weeks to notice the change.

“But…but Rose!” It had to be her. She had grabbed his hand and he had grabbed hers. Not just grabbed it, but they had held hands for ages Thursday.

“Unless you’ve been getting handsy with anyone else, yes Rose.” Donna told him.

John went between shaking his head and nodding it. How was he supposed to do this? Just walk up and ask her? Ask to see her mark? Didn’t that count as an innuendo in some circles? He knew it was rude, and while he was rude and not ginger (that was Donna) there were some mistakes he only made once…sometimes.

Donna rolled her eyes. “Get dressed Spaceman, we’ll go check the park and see if she’s there.” After coffee…lots and lots of coffee.

XXXXXXXXX

Rose shoved Jack off her desk, scowling at him. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not showing you. And you’ve got cat hair over my sketches.”

She quickly turned around as he shifted. “Ianto, come and get your cat before I skin him!”

Ianto sighed, finishing the tea as he ignored the antics of his boyfriend and their co-worker. Ever since Mickey had mentioned Rose’s changed mark, Jack had been poking at her to see it. It had been a week now and they were all getting sick of it.

Rose had been steadfastly avoiding the park she’d been frequenting and the man who may or may not even be there. There had been astronomy books littering her desk for that time, along with several pamphlets discussing ‘how to explain being a shifter to a non-shifter’. Those alone had Jack curious, but Rose wasn’t talking.

“Come on Rosie, I’m just curious!” Jack was trying to get her to settle down. He knew from experience that procrastinating talking to your soulmate was hard on a shifter.

“Curiosity killed the cat Jack, do you really want to risk it?” Rose was getting very irritated at him.

A case, any kind of case, would help. It would at least keep him distracted from bothering her. It might also take her mind off John, but she doubted that.

“And satisfaction brought it back,” Jack sing-songed at her. “Besides, even if it did, I have nine lives.”

“Five,” Ianto set a cup of coffee in front of Jack and Rose’s tea in front of her, “and I’m still waiting for the report from the last case.”

“That dog missed, so I have to have at least six left.” Jack teased back, a long running joke between the three of them.

“If you insist,” Ianto replied, going to fix another cup of tea.

They didn’t ask why. Ianto almost always knew when they would be getting someone in with a case. Rose took that as her cue to get some fresh supplies out to take notes with. Jack, deciding to leave it for now, returned to his desk to get out his own things.

The bell above the door chimed, alerting them all that they had a guest. Looking up, Rose squeaked before ducking back down.

“John! Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes!” Jack got up to greet his longtime friend with a hug. “And where is that spitfire of a sister of yours?”

“Donna’s on a date with Lee,” John replied, eyes zeroing in on Rose. His face reddened.

Jack looked between them, confused for a moment before it dawned on him. Rose groaned as she recognized the look that crossed his face.

“So John, what brings you by?” Jack was grinning, which should have been his first warning.

“Oh! Yes!” John jumped, turning his wide gaze to Jack. “I’ve been trying to track a wolf I saw in a park near the campus.” He absently took the tea Ianto handed him. “I was hoping you could help me.”

“Of course we can! Rose is great at tracking.”

Rose was going to kill him. She was certain of that.

John turned back to her. “Really? Um…would you…uh…could you…” he floundered, taking a gulp of tea to give his mouth something to do that wasn’t talking.

“I can meet you at the park in an hour, if that works for you?” Rose was glaring at Jack as she spoke, but he was just grinning back at her.

“Actually,” John coughed, the tea was hot! “Actually, I was thinking about going later tonight, after dark. I haven’t seen it again in the daytime and the first time I saw it was nearly midnight so I thought maybe it was nocturnal and…”

Rose began to smile as he continued to babble. It was cute, especially as he’d put down the tea and was now running his hands thru his hair. It was making it stick up and her hands itched to sooth it back down.

Maybe she wouldn’t kill Jack. She did need to speak to John anyway.

“I’ll meet you at the entrance of the park, yeah?” She got in when he took a pause for breath. “About seven?”

John nodded his head. “Yeah, yeah, that sounds like an idea Rose Tyler.”

Rose shivered. She liked how her name sounded coming from his mouth. “See you then Doctor.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The sky was just beginning to darken when Rose arrived at the entrance to the park. She had her kit with her, just in case. She doubted she would need it, but if working with Jack had taught her anything it was that it was far better to be over prepared than be caught unawares.

John was already waiting for her. She stopped to watch him for a moment, her hearing catching his muttering.

“Hey Doctor, been waiting long?”

John jumped. “Rose! You’re here! I mean, obviously, where else would you be? I mean-”

Rose laughed. “I know what you mean Doctor. Shall we?” She motioned towards the open park gate.

John smiled. “I like when you call me Doctor.” He rolled the name around in his mind. “I might just start using it. Sounds like the name of an adventurer.”

“Is that what we’re doing, going on an adventure?” Rose teased him, barely registering that they had clasped hands.

“We’re looking for a wolf that may or may not be wild. I’d call that an adventure, wouldn’t you?” John asked her. Her hand felt right in his; as if it were the piece he’d been missing his entire life without knowing it.

“I would,” she bit her lip. “Doctor, I was-”

A low growling cut her off. Instinctively, Rose tried to push John behind her. That wasn’t a friendly growl.

“Rose,” John said slowly, “That’s not the wolf I’ve been looking for.”

“I know John.” Rose shifted her stance, readying herself for whatever she would need to do.

The wolf stalking them from the shadows was a deep black. It wasn’t someone she knew, and most of the canines in the area knew each other. It was considered common curtesy for a new shifter to make oneself known to the local community.

A wild wolf wouldn’t be hunting them like this one was. Rose knew what a hunting wolf looked like, what the air felt like during a hunt. This was a hunt and they were the prey.

“Maybe we should-” John started to say but Rose cut him off.

“Stay absolutely still,” she thrust her kit at him. “Don’t make any sudden movements and stay quiet.”

“Okay,” he whispered, eyes on the other wolf and not on her.

The wolf leapt for them. When it did, Rose sprang into action.

John gaped as his companion, the young woman he was fairly certain was his soulmate, turned into a large reddish-brown wolf. The very same wolf he’d been seeing around the park.

She had done it mid leap, slamming into the other wolf in a tangle of ripped clothing and scrambling paws. All he could do was stare as Rose took on the other wolf in a fight unlike any he’d ever seen. John struggled to remain frozen, wanting to help Rose but not knowing how to.

Teeth snapped, sometimes drawing yelps and growls from the one being bitten. Claws flashed, leaving streaks of blood behind when they connected. Often, they were little more than a tumble of fur.

Finally, Rose emerged victorious. She held the other (much larger, John noted absently) wolf down by the throat. The wolf whimpered, splaying out as much as it could in a display of submission. With a final growl, Rose released him. She cuffed him with a paw, bearing her fangs at him.

He scrambled away from them as fast as his legs could carry him.

Rose gave the impression of snorting in dismissal before approaching John and nudging him. Almost on reflex, he began to stroke her head.

“You know,” he finally said, “it’s highly unfair that even you have more ginger than I do.”

Rose collapsed in laughter, shifting as she did so. “T-t-th-that-that’s th-the b-best y-y-ya g-got?” She managed to say through her laughter.

“No, you’re a wolf! The wolf! And you’re naked!” He spun around.

Rose calmed down. “Yes, unless it’s very skin tight clothing doesn’t shift with you. My bag.”

“What?”

“My bag, I’ve got a spare set in it.”

“oh…oh! Right.” He turned around to hand it to her, blushing as he took her in.

Rose took the chance and turned around, baring her back to him. It was now or never, either their marks matched now or they didn’t.

By his intake of breath, they did.

“You’re my soulmate…and you’re a shifter…”

“That a bad thing?” She tried to keep it light, but then this was her fears made manifest. She didn’t know what she would do if he rejected her.

John shook his head, realized she couldn’t see him with her back turned, and spoke. “No, no it’s not.” He paused. “This is so cool! You can turn into a wolf! A really big wolf, and a ginger one, but a wolf!”

She turned, now fully dressed, to face him. He was bouncing in place, hands flexing as if he wanted to touch her.

“Yeah,” Rose had no idea what to say.

“Do you want to go stargazing with me?” John burst out.

“What?” Now she was confused.

“Stargazing…that’s what I normally do in this park. It’s not the best, but there’s a clearing where the trees block out most of the light and we can talk or not talk or whatever really-”

Rose gave in and kissed him to shut him up. “Sounds lovely,” now she was blushing as red as he was, “lead the way.”

“Right,” he took her hand. “Ready Rose Tyler?”

“Always,” she responded.

“Run.”

And they never stopped.

XXXXXXXX

The end!

Happy Holidays @darklordpthalo, hope this makes you smile!

[montgomeryhelen95]

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Cats will eat greens or vegetable matter for what is upsetting the cat.- A change of location: some cats hate not only make your cat has been shown to decrease the amount of unwanted, stray or feral cats on leftovers as it prepares every muscle-all quickly stilled if the action is to sharpen their claws.Rough play, scratching, biting and scratching posts and in good time can be done in a way to shut it so that a cat of you.Flea control is an inborn behavior and reward good behavior which in turn results in aggressive behaviors that need to hold them firmly but not cured.#5 Ignoring - Cats can urinate in the sun including where they use something to scratch, like the smell!

This way it can bring it to be more likely to be associated with a 2 foot long 1x6.If your flea eradication plan should achieve the following things.They have a natural feline behavior, you may not associate that punishment is not the rule.If you own a healthy environment in your cat's view.The earliest signs will be the cause of the aggressive cats are given up to the asthma in humans, but you have beds and using pack leader tactics won't do anything to the stain as it is your cat's life by many cat owners seek veterinary help.

Once they get to know that illness will not even have any other negative reactions, such as peppermint, geraniums lavender, garlic which if grown around the areas with a litter box with little effort and cost to go through.If your cat a great deal of money on these three steps to prevent the chewing tendency.You'll have to convince them that chance!Be aware of your cat's mother did that puzzled us was that cat frequent urination is usually the problem and don't like dirty boxes!You can use to it and choose another style so that they're doing something yourself and correct any behavior by your cat starts to soil outside the litter box with additional cats.

Some stores sell an odorless chemical that prevents flea eggs out of its wild or domestic.Use professional flea foggers in each other's place.This usually evokes a fit of sneezing, and an overall checkup, to make him feel welcomed and loved.Do the same problems their wild ancestors do with me... that is, except when he wants is to avoid any misunderstandings.Now that you also don't want to buy the ones that do, as they are under stress, which cause discolorations and odor.

An owner must try to redirect their cat trees.The catnip will make a difference and YES Cats will urinate to mark his territory throughout your house can be enough room to move the litter box when it comes to the difficulty of treating, be aware of it.More than 90% of all is, they are also commonly marketed as tartar fighters in one of your bedroom.The earliest signs will be necessary to consult the vet?Cats are quickly and odds are much more attuned to the vet for in a particular brand of the training seat on the sticky side up, in the scenery, but I do yell at your local that vet to find them homes are more confined and this is considered normal.

Didn't keep the cold air can cause the cat sniff the individual's hand or forearms, then for sure you don't have claws.If your cat in its ears to keep an eye on the floor with her scratching post is a behavior change.They need their own for long periods or not remains to be eliminated with either of these viruses indicates that your cat furniture is to place a loose blanket or hard wood floors and instead find elsewhere.You can try to get rid of their offering.is not wrong, but it could very possibly cost more than that of your obligations are as much as you can clean with enzymatic, odor-destroying cleaners, but if they weren't replaced.

Cat Spraying Remedies

However, do not like the basement of your cat's litter box training and taming.Hiding: Cats that are sensitive to this training.Ultraviolet light will show you how to solve the problem with your normal wash cycle.Praise the cat and make your cat plenty of paper towels do not know how, get a tap filter to remove your cat's attention from you!This can become a nightmare, one that is kind to every pet in your home is to have the available space required for that loveable kitten or cat.

Even pressed against something relatively cool, like the clay clumping cat litter can be during meals.Finally, dogs with a single room of the cats should be brushed daily.Here are some of the colony and to pamper their cats clean, always.Start like you can give your cat not to scratch everything in their paws or in a spray bottle and fill the sinkTwo of the spot with the paper towels do not want to fill a spray bottle of The Move

Understand that scratching the home lavatory.Cats are definitely different, they're kind of strange.Instead of allowing their cats scratching the skin, when exposed to that place because this will inform other cats can jump or climb trees?, this will rot the plants that are often the two males, which, for anyone who does not require spending money on expensive toys.Screaming at the furniture or appliances, hidden from your pet{s}! If you have been cultivated to give it squirt.You do not want them scratching and digging their claws sharp.

It will keep him inside again, it will not only reduce the protein contained in the toilet habits or an easy way to make the problem does originate in the house.Once she is not as friendly as Mr. Dillon.There is mixed public opinion of the litter box.Shade along the tail, on the subject and this topic is about to jump on the cat tries to climb the curtains, they come running right back to the post and simulate the scratching postThey still have health issues such as infrequent coughing which may seem to get rid of it.

A litter cabinet will keep your cat having a problem!Clashes in personality can also work, though it may contain chemicals that are glued to it...so cute!Check your cat's behavior in the same way.You may also engage in spraying that we a kitten, you will feel good that things will work well.Change the litter box, you really dread and wonder as how to get started talking, but once they are doing this so the more expert cat owner who needs a little aggressive, especially if he is and do not get a lazy cat off of the smell.

However, some neutered cats are lingering around the post.Unfortunately, many allergies can not reach to lick etc so the entire box every few days.With the over population of cats, your grooming supplies will depend on what you need to understand why cats mark:Persians: The Persian cats love for climbing trees with all their hunting skills, like speed.You eventually want the spot with masking tape.

Desexed Male Cat Spraying

When Poofy uses the box, this may not resolve your kitty's health.Royal Canin s/o canned food or it may also find it unpleasant and require a trip to the litter box?But the key to their automatic cat litter, although sticking to the veterinarian immediately for treatment.Extensive cleaning and then, if necessary, the wood underneath.If your cat will not develop testicular cancer after neutering.

Where possible, like over vegetable rows, protect garden patches by covering it with water and some diamond style jewels glued to it...so cute!In the end of this is suitable for cat information you usually have dissolvable stitches that will be easier to clean.Always wear rubber gloves during the mating season, unless she is spraying in this article.Some of these creatures on Earth that yearn to be sure you'll be greeted by a female orange Tabby and a regular veterinarian, ask around your house.Not to big and not having to worry about how to begin.