for amelioraate

[gotup]

[ HYDRA, as it turned out, had been working on other biological projects, which Steve had discovered one night late in the war when he infiltrated a small outpost and found a number of wolves. At first, he'd thought they had just been exceptionally resilient animal specimens - he'd had to set the house on fire and trap them inside to escape after he'd run out of ammunition.

When the full moon came, he discovered that they hadn't just been wolves, they had been werewolves. He turned into a beast, ran through the forest, and when dawn came, he found himself miles from camp, naked on a bed of pine needles.

(That had been a little awkward.)

A few months later, he'd gone under the ice, and nothing mattered anymore.



Fast-forward a good few decades, and Steve's out of the ice and managing his furry little problem the best he can. Which is to say, he disappears once a month and hope nobody notices. That hasn't been a problem till now. He's ostensibly under house arrest in Stark Tower, and, okay, he knows Tony won't care if he leaves, won't tell the government that he's suddenly disappeared. But that doesn't mean he's not paranoid about it.

There's really nothing he can do, though. Sure, he could probably spend the full moon curled up in his room, but he knows Tony has cameras in there to monitor him (doesn't blame him for it), and that's obviously a problem. He'll just have to suck it up and sneak out.

He's pretty sure Tony's preoccupied with something - a meeting, genius Tony things, whatever - when he casually strolls out of the tower before sunset in a hoodie, baseball cap tucked under his arm. Once he's safely out of view, he puts the baseball cap on, pulls up the hood - he can't wear sunglasses right now, that would just look weird. It's not far to the park, but he can feel the tug of the moon in his bones, and it makes him walk a little faster.

Steve wishes he would've had a chance to scope out the park ahead of time; right now, he just has to strip down and hope to god nobody steals his clothes as he stashes them deep in a copse of trees. And then- then the change hits, twisting his bones, reforming his body. It feels like the serum did every time, hurts like hell, but soon enough he's on four legs.

The wolf in him misses the jungles of Wakanda; they'd been hot, but wild, full of animals to hunt. The city isn't the same, not when the park isn't big enough to really run through, not when the biggest animals in the bushes are squirrels and rabbits. It feels distinctly unsatisfying; he wants to hunt, to feel the exhilaration as he brings down his prey, the hot blood on his tongue. As he thinks about it, there's a rustle in the underbrush behind him, and without thinking, he tenses his muscles and leaps. ]

Comments

[gotup]

[ Steve just kind of stands there and stares at Tony like he's never seen another wolf before - and, okay, he hasn't, not as a wolf, but there's something human behind the gaze, too. Like he hasn't known how much he needed this, needed to have someone else, till now.

But more than that is the scent. He doesn't smell quite like Tony does as a human - there's a similarity, but there's more, more complexity than a human could ever be aware of. All of it is something he could find blindfolded from miles away - from across the world, he thinks - and something the wolf knows is his.

He approaches him slowly, stiff-legged, a little tense, and when he's close enough, he whines low in his throat. Tries to figure out if things are all right. ]

[amelioraate]

[ Tony is still Tony, something still him beneath all the freedom and feral that is coursing through him, his blue eyes still bright with that spark that speaks of genius and chaos and fire. But there is less consuming his thoughts, he feels freer, more able to slip into the feeling of things rather than get tangled in thoughts and ideas.

There is a noise, growl or rumble or greeting, in his chest as he watches Steve, all blond wolf and power, approach. The human part of him wants to laugh, to tackle Steve because he can, but--

He shuffles, stretches and presses himself to the ground, eyes up and head slightly cocked as he regards-- regards--

Tony whines a little, shuffles closer, huffing and not knowing why he felt the need to do what he was doing.]

[gotup]

[ A growl rumbles in Steve's throat - not anything threatening, but asserting his dominance nonetheless. He stops in front of Tony, fur fluffed out as he tries to look even larger than he really is (as if he isn't bigger than the other wolf already). And he waits, without really knowing why he's doing any of this. ]

[amelioraate]

[ The growl makes Tony whine, pressing down a little more, a little unsteady on his for new paws, before he is on his side, chin up and eyes on the other wolf. He wants to challenge him, the human part of him, but the wolf in him doesn't even entertain the idea, just waits and hope for-- for something.]

[gotup]

[ And Steve moves to stand over him, lowering his head to close his jaws gently on his throat for just a moment. Bared fangs press against skin - and then he pulls away, steps back gracefully. The tension in his muscles ebbs away now that he's established his dominance, and his tongue lolls out of his mouth in a wolfish grin. Once Tony rises to his feet, Steve launches himself at him, tackling him and knocking him to the ground again without any warning. ]

[amelioraate]

[ And just like that, something shifts. The logical part of Tony has no idea what it is, but the wolf in him is happy. Pleased.

And apparently up for a game of tackle tag. There is a noise, not a yip, but of surprise, as Steve tackles him to the ground, but he reacts. Trying to move and get himself out from under the larger, blond wolf to run.

It takes a moment, some scuffling, but eventually Tony is free and-- well, he runs. With a noise of joy, he takes off, knowing that Steve will follow close behind.]

[gotup]

[ Tony wriggles underneath him, and no matter how hard Steve tries to pin him in one place, he manages to slip free and dart into the forest. Steve barks happily and chases after him, bounding into the trees like an oversized dog. He follows Tony's scent, keeping close behind him - doesn't try to tackle him yet, because right now, he's just enjoying the run itself, galloping through the woods with another wolf. It's fun in a way he's never associated with the change before, and it makes him feel surprisingly light-hearted and playful. ]

[amelioraate]

[ Perhaps being smaller and faster was more useful for once. The noise that Tony makes as he rushes into the woods is as carefree and happy as one might hope from him. Moreso than Tony ever thought that he manage as humour or wolf.

Then he starts to run. It doesn't take long for Tony to forget about being tackled, about Steve on his trail (though he knows that the other is there, can sense him, smell him) and just enjoy the fact that he is running, free. It's fucking exhilarating and he thinks this is a lot like flying in the suit. And that the pain of the change is totally made up for right now.

[gotup]

[ Steve settles into an easy lope, lets Tony take the lead. He's busy mapping the woods in his head as they run, learning their new surroundings. Occasionally he'll dart off to one side to investigate something, a new scent or a trail through the underbrush, but he's always drawn back to following Tony.

Until Steve breaks off completely, anyway, letting Tony run ahead. He thinks he has an idea, and he wants to see if it'll work. His route takes him around a hill and up to the top, and he flattens himself against an overcropping of rock above a creek and waits for Tony to (hopefully) pass by. ]

[amelioraate]

[ There is a... twinge of sorts, that Tony notices when Steve stops following him. But Tony doesn't stop running, doesn't slow, because something tells him that the other isn't going far, that Steve is still close by, and he is more than safe to continue running in this way.

When he is human again, he might want to think a little on why Steve and safe seemed to intertwined in his mind. Why Steve and home seemed to be a thing.

Until then, he runs. Occasionally letting out yips of joy, before he comes across a creek and stops, suddenly aware that he is thirsty.]

[gotup]

[ Steve pounces on him from above, and they both go tumbling into the water - only a few inches deep, so there's no risk of drowning. Instead, he playfully tussles with Tony, rolling around till he's on top and pinning him down. He looks as smug as a wolf possibly can, which is remarkably smug indeed. ]

[amelioraate]

[ His senses alert him to Steve just a moment too late, and Tony goes tumbling into the water with the blond wolf with a yelp. It doesn't take long for the other wolf to pin him either, and later Tony will wonder just how he manages to look smug while being a damn animal, but he does and Tony snorts in defeat, head tilting back a little.

Really he should have seen that coming.]

[gotup]

[ Instead of biting at Tony's throat, this time he just nuzzles it - maybe grazes a little with his teeth, but he's not trying to show dominance this time. He licks at the other wolf's muzzle for a moment, and then-

Then he catches a scent on the wind, and he stills for a moment, pricking his ears up eagerly. Steve climbs off of Tony and darts into the woods again, not even stopping to shake the water from his coat first. ]

[amelioraate]

[ Tony catches wind of the scent about the same time. It is confusing for a moment, where wolf wars with human, but as soon as Steve is moving, Tony is following. There is something different about the energy in him now, something a little more wild than before and the sliver of his humanity knows that this is a hunt.]

[gotup]

[ Steve doesn't need to look to see if Tony's following him; he knows the other is, knows exactly where he is. It's something he's started to notice as a human, a sort of sixth sense that he's just sort of chalked up to getting a feel for Tony's schedule and the way his mind works. But it's more than that, like there's some sort of compass in his mind, and Tony is north. It's something the human might find strange but the wolf simply accepts as a fact, as the way things should be.

And while the wolf always enjoys hunting, there's a certain satisfaction tonight that he hasn't felt before, a pleasure in knowing that he isn't hunting alone, that there's another there to share in the exhilaration of the hunt, to help in bringing down their prey. He has to clamp down on a howl as he runs through the forest, instead bringing his nose close to the ground as he follows the trail of the deer. ]