#when the wolfsbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright ✇ [v. werewolf] | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

thebabysittertm · 2 years ago

Text

ㅤThere was a learning curve for each of them, it was true, but Billy was actually doing really well with his - granted, his was a hell of a lot steeper given he was struggling with the actual need to sustain himself on as little human blood as he could and Steve assumed maybe animals as well? Was Billy any good at catching animals, or was all of his skill based around charming his way into some girl's pants and veins? Steve knew that Billy and Heather were behaving themselves and doing a damn impressive job of managing their shit because nobody had died or come to the police with some story about being attacked, or Hopper would have known. It was a good sign, something that reassured Steve a little in his current situation, despite his reservations.

ㅤHis own learning curve was steep in different ways, namely in that he didn't feed on humans and generally needed to stay as far away from them as possible, which was harder than it sounded sometimes. He also had to keep his secret, which was even more difficult than just keeping his distance, especially with the kids around. He was constantly in some state of worry that one of them was suddenly going to look at him, squint and just figure him out right then and there. Hell, this situation with Billy had him on edge, like one wrong move and Billy would figure him out, but then, he wasn't sure if Billy knew what he was sensing. Billy hadn't known about the monsters when they dealt with the werewolves, and he hadn't been a vampire then. Before his time, as they said. Maybe he didn't get it and Steve was just paranoid.

ㅤRegardless, Billy had been managing, and so had Heather, and Steve knew they were close. He had damn good reason to doubt Hargrove's motives regarding him given their history, but the two brand new vampires were giving them all fewer and fewer reasons to doubt their commitment to preserving life and not being monsters. It was mostly why Steve was less concerned with Billy hurting or killing him, which would have been harder as a werewolf himself, but more worried about the potential attempt at embarrassing him or starting some kind of rumor. That, and they both knew that if Steve had been easier to hurt badly and Billy did, people who knew how to kill vampires would notice very quickly.

ㅤThat left him with more of the 'why'. Why him? Hargrove was putting on the flirtation pretty hard and Steve had to assume that he was just committing to it even without the vampire mind tricks, but he didn't actually think for a second that it was because Billy was actually attracted to him or interested in any way. Their interactions had all seemed hostile, not like Billy wanted to date him. The way the vampire looked him over sure as hell played it like he did, or like Billy wanted to fuck him as much as he was teasing, which made the whole thing more difficult for Steve to navigate. He didn't believe there was sincerity there, but Billy's words still slid through the air between them, innuendo less and less veiled as he went.

ㅤSteve watched him carefully, like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop, for Billy to suddenly bark out a laugh and tell him he was just fucking with him, for anything except what was actually happening. He swallowed, throat working as he glanced away at the bit about him being something special if the girls couldn't get enough, what was he hiding, because the two weren't related but god damn if he didn't want to get into what he might be hiding. At least he figured Billy might have a point about blood tasting sweeter if he wasn't stressed and hurting, not that he didn't believe that a vampire could roll his mind well enough to make him enjoy himself to death if it wanted. Still, he was unconvinced, didn't trust Hargrove far enough to give him what he was asking for and didn't see a reason why he should, except that there was a reason, wasn't there?

ㅤBilly played it off, that he ate when he needed to, which didn't answer Steve's question and in itself seemed to be the answer - if he'd eaten recently enough to not need it so much now, he'd probably have said so. He had a point about the small town, and Steve snorted out a short laugh in understanding and a bit of sympathy, glancing away once more as the push came. It'd be easier if he didn't have to mind fuck someone to forget that he'd fed from them, and the not as pleasant stuck in his head as the words fell between them. He was a werewolf, not that Billy knew that, so he could withstand it better just this once and then Billy wouldn't have to find someone else.

ㅤ"Fuck it," he sighed, already sensing the bad idea, but that shit had been the catching point. He tossed back the rest of his drink, downing the half glass quickly because he was tired of holding it, and pulled a face at the taste. "I'll give you one chance, you fuck it up and the Chief will be up your ass uncomfortably fast, you know that."

ㅤHe glanced at him again, watching him like he thought Hargrove would give something away with that offer, but saw nothing that made him take it back instantly. "Not here, not a chance I'm getting caught following you into a room or leaving one with you. Benny's old place is down the street, I'll meet you there in ten. We're using your car, not mine."

　THERE WAS A LEARNING CURVE to all of this. Billy had learned a semblance of self-control. It wasn’t like before when he reacted solely to hunger, his turbulent and heightened emotions, or the bloodlust. It all was a mess he was unraveling and figuring out for himself. To make matters worse there was no anonymity in his mistakes. He was being held accountable for the first time in his damn life and it was insurmountable, the amount of pressure and stress it was to do the right thing.

And to think of doing the right by the humans around him—his own humanity still so damn fresh and vibrant—he knew deep down that was the only choice for him to live the kind of existence he wanted.

Steering clear of people he knew was probably the wiser decision when it came to feeding habits however there was something tinged on the edge of his hunger when it came to Steve. Perhaps it was the obsession and fascination lingering from his human life where he had literally bulldozed Steve over just ‘cause he knew he could. He ought to know better and not eat where he slept but Billy was never wise. And in some ways, it might be easier. Steve knew what he was, what he was capable of, and probably had the most reason to be cautious of him. Messin’ with Steve wasn’t really an option. He couldn’t do him harm and didn’t want to. There was no universe in which he could get away with that. And even if he could, Billy didn’t have it in him to be a monster.

Flirting with Steve was a little foolish but fun as well. It was silly of him to think he might just be able to take a bite from him without any consequences or attachment. Of course, mixing attraction with this element was a dangerous territory for Billy. Something he could so easily get wrapped up in and overeager. Who would have thought Harrington would get him all wound up on the idea of getting a hold of his neck?

❝ A real damn shame. ❞ Billy says with a small chuckle as he peers over Steve purposely drawing his attention right to the jugular where the pretty collection of veins sat. Steve might not be too convinced at the moment but perhaps Billy might be able to sway his resolve a little. Or not. ❝ I’d love to fuck up your head just a little. I’m almost positive that Steve with his head a little fucked would be such a sight—and your neck,” Billy smiles a little toothy, fangs pointy and sharp. ❝ I’d make it especially nice for you. Must be something special if all the girls in Hawkins couldn’t get enough. So what’s Steve Harrington hiding from me? Not gonna hurt you, pretty boy. You’ll taste so much better sweet. ❞ But Steve makes some valid points – most of which he cannot deny. He had harmed Steve already. And there was no reason for Steve to trust Billy now.

But he doesn’t push it. If Steve says no, he’ll respect that. However, it didn’t mean Billy wouldn’t ponder on the idea or try to get him to change his mind. ❝ Wouldn’t you like to know– ❞ Billy’s eyes cut over to Steve and chuckled, ❝ I eat when needed to. In the most inconspicuous ways possible in a town this small. Though it would make my life a lot easier if there was someone so inclined to let me feed off them so I didn’t have to fuck with other people's heads in a not-so-pleasant way so they wouldn’t remember. ❞

#when the wolfsbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright ✇ [v. werewolf]#v1ctimplagued #v1ctimplagued || .002 werewolf

10 notes · View notes

starsinshadows · 3 years ago

Text

firelightfables:

Trick or Treat! Day 21: A full moon night with wind whistling through the trees…

The dew was thick on the grass as Robin moved through it. Careful to heft the blanket over her shoulder to keep the edge from trailing, backpack stuffed full and burning a warm spot into her back from the thermos nestled into the side of it. It wasn’t far to the rendevous point in the woods. Wet leaves replaced by the crunch of fall leaves and gravel, kicking up the smell of dirt and the lingering smoke from bonfires lit by half the county now that proper fall was here. The full moon shown down as she made her way through the underbrush, pausing once as something rustled nearby then padded off into the darkness.

Shaking her head a bit, her own heart beating quickly, Robin snorted at herself. “Dumbass. Probably just a rabbit. Yeah. Rabbit.” Even if a part of her still felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

The clearing wasn’t much further. Small fire pit half obscured by a branch that she moved then. The logs left a few days before in plastic wrap. Setting the backpack down by a tree, Robin stretched. Glancing up as the last bit of the moon began to dip below the treeline, the grey of dawn already starting to show. “You’d better get your furry ass here before your coffee gets cold!”

The woods were silent for a half moment, then started up again and Robin rolled her eyes. Squatting to start the process of getting a fire going, cursing a bit when the matches refused to light in her cold hands. The snap of branches spooked her again, though this time when she looked the wolf stayed. Staring at her warily.

Robin just raised an eyebrow. “I brought Skittles too. They were out of Snickers. And honestly anything’s better than rabbit.”

@starsinshadows

The night was cool, but none of that mattered once he shed his skin for the coat of fur that could handle far worse than what Indiana autumn had to offer, set loose to run and run and run until he might eventually wear himself out. He could run and hunt all night and never manage that, not until he was human again, but the thought was there. Maybe he could run until he didn't think about the fact that he was running alone all the time. That loneliness had seemed like it might be a human problem, one that initially, he'd been able to forget. When this all first started after the initial monster problems in Hawkins (Hawkins had a monster problem often, he was finding) had landed him infected with lycanthropy and quietly managing his condition so nobody panicked that there were still werewolves in Hawkins, it had been a relief to take to quiet paws in the woods. At first, he had been able to forget his problems, and that had been nice, but it wasn't long before he realized that the joke was on him. Wolves lived in packs. Instead of the relief that the simple joy of the woods under cover of night had originally brought, he found himself even more mournful as the nights went on, missing some feeling of home and family that he'd never had before but a wolf craved regardless. This was no longer the escape it had once been, though he didn't tell that to anyone, not that many people knew that the so-called hero who had danced around leaping werewolves with a nailbat in a junkyard to keep the kids safe had been just the slightest bit too slow at some point in the evening's chaos. Between fighting it out and losing to Billy Hargrove and the multiple monster fights he'd gotten into, he didn't even know when it had happened and it was impossible for anyone other than him to pinpoint which injury it was. He knew because Billy sure as hell hadn't cut through his jeans to get at his leg, and though he didn't know exactly how this thing spread, it apparently hadn't gotten to Billy, so it might have happened in the tunnels after the fight. That, or blood contact didn't do it, but he wasn't taking that chance with anyone. Even if his own loneliness really begged for someone else. Robin helped, knowing the big secret and meeting him out there in the woods, starting up a fire and bringing him necessities and then not-so-necessities, and it was that loneliness that drew him from the cover of darkness towards her voice and the firelight despite instincts telling him to keep his distance. He was alone, humans were dangerous, but he wanted to be near her, and so he crept out, watching her closely with golden eyes in case she made any sudden moves. She knew because he'd told her that coherent thought processes got iffy when he was in this skin, but he was around her so often on such a regular basis, and he snuck whiffs of her scent whenever it was casually convenient, locking the familiarity into his mind. It made it easier at moments like this, when he was uncertain and wary, but felt drawn in, her scent reassuring to go with her loud voice and diss on the idea of rabbit, though he'd have disagreed with her right then. Even so, he stood staring too long before he crossed the distance finally to give her a sniff, checking to make sure before nosing at the bag. Skittles and coffee were not appetizing in any way to the wolf, but he could smell clothes with his usual scent on them inside, and that certainly got the brain rolling. That, and dawn was quickly approaching, meaning day 2 of his late nights was at a close. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't comfortable and it actually hurt like hell and that was why he'd taken to disappearing into the woods away from town to do this so that he wouldn't have to freak out about being quiet, but he was finally there, exhausted and starving and shivering in the dirt. He might have cared more if he wasn't already dirty and sweaty from running around the forest all night, but a shower before he caught a few hours of nap would be on the list. His hand had a tremble that would pass eventually as he reached for the bag, modesty a lost cause by this point and honestly, he was just glad for Robin's presence after the fact. "Hey," he managed with a smile, running a shaking hand through hair that was already showing a bit of gray from the constant stress and voice a little rough like it always was afterwards, but his was coming back online fully and the weirdness would pass with the tremble in his muscles. That, and it was suddenly way colder than it had felt a few minutes ago. "I smell coffee? You're amazing."

#⭐steve harrington || when the wolfsbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright [v. werewolf]#⭐ steve harrington; interactions #firelightfables #[this one got looooong omg]

4 notes · View notes

thebabysittertm · 2 years ago

Text

ㅤIn fairness to them both, Meg may not have understood why her family hadn't had any issues with the werewolves that had killed people before the Monster Squad got involved, but Steve also didn't understand why her house had seemed safe enough to approach in the first place. He'd been skittish about people and things that smelled or sounded like people, and he was good at catching rabbits for himself, so he didn't go hungry, which meant that approaching her house made even less sense. He wasn't stupid in his fur - in fact, he was smarter than any actual wolf had any right to be and his problem solving skills were probably close to human, but there was a disconnect between full human intelligence, reasoning and thought processes that he normally possessed and the wolf instincts with their more primal intelligence regarding the natural world and its ways.

ㅤIn short, there was no reason he should have trusted her or her house, so why had he?

ㅤHe didn't know it, but it was probably the same reason that her home and family had been spared the attentions of the other wolves, despite the proximity to the forest and lack of any obvious protection. "I'm pretty sure I wouldn't understand if I saw it because it's a random wild animal that walked out of the woods," he pointed out, but she hadn't snuggled up on the 'dog' and that was what mattered right then. He'd probably have had a heart attack if he heard her say anything about a bite being an acceptable risk, but what reason did she have to think it was a werewolf?

ㅤIf he'd had anything more to say, it was broken by a shrill, ear-splitting whistle that he merely closed his eyes and weathered with the assumption that it was the dog whistle again, which meant nobody else would hear it, and gave the slightest nod as she asked her question and he opened his eyes. "You have no idea. They're a bunch of little geniuses and the only thing that works in my favor is they argue constantly," he told her, gesturing to the loud argument going on right at that very moment with a slight raise of his eyebrows to accentuate his point. If they agreed, he'd never stand a chance.

ㅤWhich was something that he was more than willing to let fester for a moment or so more before he went out and broke it up, just in case they had any ideas of trying to band together properly on him and change the afternoon plans. She'd called him out on phoning it in on his 'King Steve' performance, but he maintained the social intelligence that he'd developed over the years, and if he couldn't outwit the genius children at what they were best at, he'd use what he had available. If he was successful, he might have a bit of time to do some school work between the kids and the moon.

ㅤ"Listen," he started, sighing and well aware of how this had gone, but the kids had a weird way of taking apart his front. "I know we're not friends, but trust me on this one, I heard about it from Chief Hopper. The animal attacks were bad, it's a really bad idea to trust a wolf or a dog or whatever that you don't know. That's all."

Meg resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She remembered all those reports of animal attacks in the news and how her mother had simply shook her head at it all. Even when she'd read those articles in the paper, the ginger had felt like something was off. A string of animal attacks on civilians yet her family hadn't had a single issue. It was weird considering that the woods were practically her backyard. Calling it good luck was naïve but she couldn't find a logical reason for being left alone.

"Okay, but I didn't snuggle up with the dog and that's what matters," she pointed out. Steve was more worried about her interacting with this abandoned dog than her mother had been. It was ridiculous, though now she understood why the parents of Hawkins were fine with their kids gallivanting around with him. He might be 'King Steve' at school but he was acting like a mother hen right now.

"You'd totally understand if you saw him. That dog just looks like a walking fluffball. It's too cute. I wouldn't be surprised if he stopped showing up around the house because someone picked him up and adopted him." Meg still had every plan to try and get closer to that dog if she saw it again. What was the worse that could happen? A bite? She could deal with a potential scar if it meant that she got to smother herself in all that fur.

At some point during their conversation, the kids had made their way outside and left the two of them to talk in the school hallway. The racket outside was enough to guess that the kids were getting impatient. After all, they were loud enough for Meg to hear despite her still being inside. "You've got your hands full, huh?"

She considered asking if he even had the time to do his school work but kept her mouth shut. They weren't close and if she mentioned something like that, it'd probably just sound like another insult. A terrible idea, really. It wasn't like they were friends. Rambling about that dog for a few minutes had been more than enough for her to loosen up a little around him. Anyone who'd listen to her talk about animals was good in her book.

#fierceathlete || .001 werewolf #fierceathlete #when the wolfsbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright ✇ [v. werewolf]

30 notes · View notes

thebabysittertm · 2 years ago

Text

ㅤAs someone who absolutely knew exactly what 'the dog' was and was not, Steve was entirely unprepared for her to come back at him that the creature she'd seen was too clean, and it showed in the way he blinked at her for a moment, working that over while she kept talking. Fluffy. She would have buried her face in its fur if she got the chance.

ㅤThat part had him react, shaking his head and putting a hand up to stop her. "Whoa, whoa, you ran into some wild animal out of the woods and yeah, okay, you say it's a dog, but that doesn't sound like one, and you want to get up close and put your face on it? Are you insane?" he demanded, which was a little judgy considering he knew that he would have run before he could ever get close to hurting her - or at least, he hoped he knew that. He wanted to think it, but that didn't mean she should trust that, or trust that he was the only one out there.

ㅤ"There were a bunch of animal attacks not that long ago, and I'm not saying try to do anything about it, but maybe don't trust animals out in the dark, c'mon," he wrapped up, like that might explain himself better. He wasn't sure he accomplished much there, but if the kids heard her talking about mysterious 'dogs', they were going to be on it before Steve could do a damn thing to stop them.

"The dog was way too clean to be a wild animal," she explained. Meg had grown up on the edge of town and had spent her entire life exploring the woods. She probably knew the area better than other people who would hike through the area. The ginger had seen plenty of wild animals during her runs and that dog had been too well-groomed to have been out there long.

She didn't seem to pick up on how odd Steve's questions were. As far as she was concerned, talking about the dog was way more fun compared to going right back home. Animals were a staple in her family though her mother had always seemed to prefer cats. If she could get anyone to listen to her rambling about random animals around her house, she'd take it.

"It was a huge dog. Probably came up to like... here," she brought a hand up to gesture a general height compared to herself, "and looked really fluffy. I definitely would've buried my face in its fur if I got the chance. It was too dark to really make out what color the dog's fur was though. I wasn't trying to blind it with a flashlight or anything."

There was a light on the porch that she could've turned on but Meg doubt that would've helped much. The dog hadn't walked anywhere near the porch no matter how much she tried to coax it over. It was a shame, she'd really wanted to pet it at least once.

#fierceathlete #when the wolfsbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright ✇ [v. werewolf]#it's so awkward and yet infuriating for him #she won't listen #and also stop calling him cute #fierceathlete .001 werewolf

30 notes · View notes

thebabysittertm · 2 years ago

Text

ㅤHe was still judging her for her method of calling out whether he was okay and the fact that he was obviously not coping well with something (obvious to her, apparently, even though the rest of the school seemed to be fine with it), but she was in a weird position of catching him around the kids - no King Steve act worked on the kids, not after the shit they'd all seen together. It was somehow a disadvantage and one of the better things he had going for him all at once. Even if he was judging, however, she seemed more chill about it and wasn't jumping on him this time around. He'd take it.

ㅤSteve wasn't expecting to turn it around on her and have her actually seem... excited? Happier? To basically be told she looked like she hadn't been sleeping. That... didn't make sense, and the tilt of his head as his brows knit together definitely betrayed his confusion in a way he didn't often do and not nearly as clearly around people who were judging him. If he wasn't expecting her mood shift, he was even less prepared for the reason behind it when she got started.

ㅤ"Wait, what?" he asked, regretting it almost as soon as the kneejerk words had left his lips, but she was talking about him and it was either let the question slip free or choke on trying to hold it back. A dog, she thought he was a dog. That alone was bad enough, even if he remembered well enough to know that she'd sure as hell been acting like she was trying to make friends with a dog, but to hear her say it? Adorable?? He was absolutely not adorable, he was a werewolf and that made him a monster, so what the fuck?

ㅤThe description of his wolf self as 'skittish' shouldn't have been as surprising because he'd been there and of course he knew that, but it was a different kind of knowledge - he was still himself, but critical thinking and making more complicated connections didn't happen as automatically in his fur as it did normally. He was worried that he'd hurt someone, so of course he kept his distance, but the fact that his behavior would read to someone else as skittish still struck him. "Huh." A pause, realizing that was an awkwardly minimal response.

ㅤ"How do you know it's a dog? You said it's huge, right? What's it look like?" he asked, and yeah, he already knew the answer, but she really didn't need to be making friends with werewolves wandering out of the woods, right? It was probably better if he poked a few holes in her 'dog' story so she didn't trust it, he figured. "Probably safer if you don't pet some random dog that showed up."

ㅤHe didn't know that her mom was laughing at her for mysterious reasons, but he'd have hated that, too.

"I wouldn't say you look worse than last time." If anything, he probably looked just as bad as back then. She'd keep that to herself though. Meg wasn't trying to call him out on being an emotionally stunted manbaby this time. The ginger could hazard a guess that being around so many kids while tired would make her look like trash too.

When questioned about her own sleeping schedule, she seemed to perk up slightly. Meg was still tired but that had been quickly overridden by her love for animals and the wish to bombard anyone with her ramblings about the dog near her house. She'd be embarrassed about rambling to someone she wasn't close later but that wasn't at the forefront of her mind.

"There's this huge dog that showed up around my house recently. Absolutely adorable but super skittish. I haven't even gotten the chance to pet it yet." It sounded like she was about to whine, her voice pitching up slightly. A small frown made its way onto her features as her eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Haven't seen it in a few days though. Guess I've been a little worried because of that."

Meg knew that she'd need to get some decent sleep soon. There was a track meet this weekend and she didn't want to disappoint her teammates by showing up exhausted. She wouldn't be at the top of her game then. However, she'd been staying up later than normal to see if that dog would show up and it'd been a constant no-show. Her mom kept laughing about it but wouldn't let Meg in on whatever was so funny about the situation.

#i mean that should probably be your first clue meg #mom knows something #fierceathlete #when the wolfsbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright ✇ [v. werewolf]

30 notes · View notes