Chapter Text
{Set on October 6th, 2025, the beaver moon and October's full moon}
Jennifer Charles,
JC drew in a deep breath and tilted their head back, and then the heat under their skin became unbearable. It was late in autumn, a couple of weeks before Samhain, and cold. There was no reason for them to be warm; they never were. They were hot enough that they had to take their jacket off on their late-night walk. They'd been taking them more often. JC wanted to enjoy the rest of the year, and Nichole was increasingly busier between grading and her coven; they also had classes to keep up with and work. This is how it has been every start of the school year so far. Nichole would be incredibly busy until around Thanksgiving, when she would catch up on grading while insisting they stay close due to the lack of time together. After having caught up, she would stay on top of everything.
They stopped in their tracks and rubbed their forehead, leaning on the light post. This walk also usually exhausted them, but they felt aware, more aware than even when they pumped themselves up on caffeine. It was also nearly 11:30, and the moon was full and bright in the sky, the beaver moon…?
They sighed and pushed off the light post. The heat had started shortly after they left, and they once again removed their jacket, just like they did before at work. They never liked taking it off in public spaces, nor when they had guests. That made them think back to the sobriety birthday party they held; they'd had their jacket on even when they had the heat on. (Albeit a little low due to the number of people). They had scars from a separate outlet they had, to feel something in the early stages of sobriety, and tattoos. They had several, some on their back, stomach, and biceps. Though in places they could be shown to show loyalty to the gang, they didn't have to broadcast it everywhere they went if they put them on their neck, face, or hands, like some people they knew.
Thinking of their hands after images they had engraved into their mind, JC looked down at their hands. They usually checked their blood sugar a couple of times a day, but if they had two symptoms, they would check if they were over or under the suggested range of their blood sugar. They were hot and sweaty but not shaky. Not the reason, at least not for now. Perhaps these walks were good; if they somehow got this sweaty from walking, they needed more excursions that involved exercise. Even though it made no sense, they'd been doing this for a little while. They'd gotten in this sweaty state on a recent walk, but they'd blanked on checking their sugar, and as a result, it got low.
Jc stopped again, this time in between two lights. They stood in the darkness, then they doubled over as something in the back of their mind shifted. Something awakened whatever was in the back of their mind. They drew in a deep breath and dropped to their knees, covering their ears as howls from afar came to them and crowded their brain, then the startling sound of a car's engine roaring and ripping down the once dead silent road. They clapped their hands over their ears and lowered more, the thing in their mind stalking forward.
They didn't even have enough sense of what was going on around them; they did not notice the fairy approaching them.
Cyrus,
Cyrus (having been the one to bring Patrick to the park to meet up with local packs, Janine would've been the one to do it, but her officer called, and she had to go. He stopped seeing someone- no, actually, his close friends doubled over on the side of the road, panting. That was never a good sign for anyone, especially not his friend, the diabetic recovering drug addict, who 100% had but didn't talk about their self-destructive tendencies.
“Hey, JC…” he approached carefully, and spoke barely above a whisper; he didn't need to fight off his human friend tonight.
Their head still popped up as if they were a deer, and they looked over their shoulder at him. There was this weird glint in their eyes. It made Cyrus’s stomach bottom out. And he took a step forward. “JC… Something is wrong.” He kept his eyes locked with the human's eyes. “Come on… We'll go to the hospital or something…”
JC shook their head and slowly stood up; they teetered dangerously, but stayed right. “No-no. It-its fine, I just need a minute, Cyrus.” JC all but slurred, and that set off alarm bells in Cyrus’s mind. Something was REALLY wrong. They never slur their words, they nearly feel while straightening themself.
“Come- JC!-” he jumped forward as they collapsed forward, but they landed on their knees and whimpered. Cyrus stumbled back, seeing them getting bigger in the shoulders. They changed into a werewolf with the gruesome noises of snapping and cracking, sinew and tissue ripping, then stitching back together. It wasn't pretty until they fully formed, finishing the shift. They weren't small compared to Cyrus, reaching an inch taller than him, when they stood up tall, but they were quite scrawny compared to most werewolves in their wolf form that he'd met.
Cyrus stared mouth slightly agape, the wolf sniffed and looked around, then down at themself. Then, they promptly started freaking out. “JC!” Cyrus called, and JC, in their shaggy tan and dark brown, almost black fur, turned around and stared at him; both of their ears were drooping, and their tail mirrored them. “Come here, JC, it's okay-” Cyrus adopted the same tone that he did before, and they took a couple of steps forward and lowered their head to sniff him. Their nose was dry, and their tail started to wag again.
“See, it's okay, JC, I need to call the boss- and we'll figure something out, like getting you into a pack- should we call Kelly too?” JC stared at him, right, puppy JC, then they nudged him toward his car, and he nodded, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He stopped when a growl sounded behind him, and he looked at the discarded clothes that JC was trying to pick up with their thumbless hands with minimal success. “Here, let me.” It seems like JC was at the end of their rope as they leaned down and grabbed their clothes in their maw and lifted them. They handed him their pants and shirt, and they grabbed their jacket. He reached for it but drew his hand away like a cat when they growled and looked at their shoes. Okay- so they're gonna be like that… Cyrus scooped up their shoes and opened the door to toss the stuff in and let JC in.
JC slipped in and fit a lot better than Patrick did, but the seat belts probably wouldn't work with them either. Cyrus shut the door after checking no part of JC was hanging out the car and then shut the door. He then dialed “Mom Boss” on his phone and put it to his ear.
Princess Violet picked up on the first ring.
Princess Violet, Iron Witch, Boss, Bob
Cyrus’s breathing immediately sounded wrong, nerves and worry.
“Cyrus, what is wrong?” Bob didn't bother with a greeting. She had already started to get up and change back into her normal day clothes.
He hesitated, “Well… It's a little hard to explain- I think?”
I raised an eyebrow at my phone, “Well, explain it best you can.” She was using the tone she used on the soldiers below her when she served in all the various militaries.
“So, as you know, I was taking Pat to the park to meet up with the packs, and as I was driving home, I saw someone doubled over on the side of the road, and it was JC. “ JC? Well, that's worrisome. They had an arcane and dangerous past.
“Continue, is JC hurt? Do we need to call Rethu and the rest of the staff? Should I call Nichole?” She immediately started to solve any issue.
“I wouldn't say they were hurt… but” Cyrus slowed down, changed his tone, and drew the ‘but’ out.
“Blue. Continue. They've been taken once, and we need to get them help.” Bob started to pace a path on her floor. She always did this when stressed; she adored the human baker almost as much as her ward.
“I pulled over to check on them, and something was clearly wrong. I know you're pacing the floor, I know you, but they,” Cyrus sighed, “I don’t know how to make this sound like I'm faking it.” Violet waited silently on the other end of the phone. “JC changed into a werewolf form. I’ve got them in my car, they’re responsive, they listened, but they did growl at me when I tried to take their jacket, so there's something that has to be done there. But- I didn't know who to call, you or Nichole. It's getting late, and it's a Monday, so she might be asleep. Should I drive them to her house and we call her?” Cyrus was stressed, confused, and worried.
“I will call Nichole, and I will drive over, and you do the same. I assume that you're somewhat close to JC’s place, so it will take longer to get to her place.” Bob said he got a responding murmur from the other line, then hung up.
Nichole,
She brought down her jacket, her favorite plaid jacket that JC also loved wearing it especially if she gave it to them after just after she had warmed it. She pulled it on and covered the bathrobe she threw over her pajamas. When Bob had called, Nichole had been awake, wide awake. She watched JC's location move, then stop, and then start moving fast. They had been picked up by Cyrus and had been driving towards her since she got the call. She stepped out of the door and watched as Bob climbed out of her car on a call with someone, but as she shut her car and tucked her keys into her pocket, and finished up her call.
“Bob?” Nichole sounded tired, because she was, but she missed her partner, and both needed to settle into the school year before they could go back to how they were and spend most nights together at either of their places. They could easily work around one another, with JC mostly having to bake in their final year of schooling, and Nichole just having to grade the effort and admire her kiddos' work.
“We’ve got a situation, it involves JC, they’re okay- In a way, but.” Bob pinched the bridge of her nose and rubbed it with her thumb and forefinger. “It’ll make sense when they get here,” Bob said, ending on a tired mumble.
It took a few minutes, but Cyrus’s car squealed up and he pulled into the small driveway of her home. Nichole immediately sensed something wrong; the small garnered magic within her stirred and came to life at something being held within the car. Cyrus jumped out of the car and immediately clashed gazes with the woman who had raised him. Her eyebrows rose at her ward and child.
“Get them Blue, she might be able to get the jacket from them too.” Bob lifted her chin, commanding Cyrus. Nichole noticed in the corner of her eyes that Bob did sidle closer to her, just in case something happened and whatever had happened to JC caused them to become aggressive. Nichole had a feeling the fairy was paranoid that something would happen. JC might have given off this tough, scary gangster aura, even from the start, but they were loyal, and they were also just the most cuddly and loving person when they felt fully safe away from the eyes of everyone else.
Cyrus nodded at his boss, mother, and mentor and turned to the door. He opened it and leaned in. He seemed to try to rouse JC, but they didn't sleep well, so when they fell asleep, they were out completely most nights. She saw Cyrus visibly deflate, and then he reached his other arm in and scooped… JC? Out. That was most certainly not a human, and not her JC. That was a tan-furred werewolf with almost black stripes on its back. JC was a human; they had shared an interest in what it would be like to be immortal, but never shared the desire to become one. While werewolves weren't immortal, they were much longer lived than most non-immortals, which included the goblins and dwarves, and the related creatures.
“Cyrus. What werewolf did you snatch off the side of the road, and has Rethu accidentally smacked you with their wing or something recently? JC is a human, and while I adore you showing the want to have them live longer, it probably won’t happen, friend.” Nichole moved to step towards the fairy, adjusting the foreign werewolf, but Bob stopped her, stepping in her way and stopping her, but why, oh why was it holding JCs beloved jean jacket in its mouth? Had he witnessed the werewolf taking a liking to a JC-shaped snack?
Cyrus moved the wolf up and stroked its back, then took a couple of steps away to give room between the door and him to shut it with his heel.
“Trust me, I tried to grab their jacket from them too and just got growled at before I made them get into the car,” Cyrus said and pulled his head back to look at the wolf in his arms. “They listened and they became more responsive in the wolf's body than they were before they changed, believe it or not,” Cyrus said as the wolf lifted its head and seemed to sniff the air.
Nichole's attention was trapped on the wolf as it tilted its head and its tail started to wag. Cyrus let the werewolf down and let them go after steadying them. Free, they promptly turned and sniffed again. They saw her, but shot a glance at the now tense fairy general. Nichole moved the still raised arm Bob had in between them and stepped forward. JC stayed still as a statue, showing they were passive, showing they weren't going to attack anyone, especially Nichole.
Nichole walked up and cupped the furry cheeks of JC. “Love… let go of your jacket, you and I both know you’d be upset if you ruined it…” Nichole started by speaking quietly, then she softly grabbed the jacket and pulled it from them as they let go of her. There were teeth imprints, but those would be okay in time. JC leaned close and pressed their nose, cold to her forehead, and sniffed him. She couldn't help but smile. This was truly JC. “Who knew you were actually just a big puppy? No wonder you're as loyal as one and all bark and bite.” Nichole scratched behind the werewolf JCs ears and they lowered themself.
Cyrus looked back at his car, then to JC again. “Their clothes ripped when they changed, but the jacket just slipped off; it was around their hips when they changed, so it was at least spared, but the rest of their clothing was not.” Cyrus rubbed the back of his head.
Nichole nodded, “I'm not surprised. Do you guys want to come in? It's almost midnight,” Bob nodded, seeming to have deflated in the time between, and decided to just watch the human witch, but Cyrus shook his head no.
“I told Rethu I was taking Pat to the local packs, then i told them it was an emergency, and that I wasnt in need of them, but they insisted to stay up-to-date, I wont tell them the specifics, I will just say a small medical emergency and allued to it being diabetes related, then I will tell them that I lied when JC tells everyone about their midnight shift, and how they caused me to nearly shit my pants.” Cyrus chuckled, and Nichole nodded, rubbing at the fur on JC.
“Go on then, get some sleep, we all have work tomorrow, and I don't know about you lot, but I know I will be exhausted.” JC’s eyes opened, and they pulled back, giving her space to lead them into the house, but they also left space for Bob. That all happened at the same time Cyrus was heading to his car. Bob and Nichole turned as they noticed the wolf hadn't followed, but Cyrus was checking his phone as he climbed into his car and started it with a rumble of the engine.
Jennifer Charles,
They stared at the purple fairy and tired human; they were tired too, but there was a no animal policy, and specifically no dog policy, an incredibly strict policy, and entering would mean they likely would leave hair in the townhouse that could get Nichole removed from the home.
It seemed like Nichole could read their mind in the moment. “No, my landlord said that werewolves are allowed. You're not staying out here just because of some stupid rule either. Worst comes to worst, I have you over for the weekend and have you help me clean up any left fur.” JC nodded, and they looked at her and walked in. They made sure to duck their head so they didn't smack them on the doorframe.
Bob yawned from beside them. “You’re on the afternoon shift anyway, but I will make sure you get the werewolf hangover cure, same for Patrick, and like Cyrus said, you two should talk.” With that, JC was put on the loveseat, and Bob sat on the couch. They watched the fairy but didn't say anything, like they literally couldn't in this form, or at least they didn't think so. Everything was weird, and this body felt unwieldy. They sat there in calm silence alongside Bob until Nichole returned with a pillow and blanket for Bob, then she looked at JC, helped them rise, and tugged them to her bedroom after removing the extra layers she had donned for the time she spent outside. They immediately spotted their jacket, but they ignored it; they wouldn't fit in it currently, and they weren't cold yet.
Nichole smoothed out her pajamas and climbed into bed, soon opening her arms for JC, who slipped into the bed after her and molded to her body, feeling the coolness that had seeped through her clothes. Soon, with slim fingers running through the fur on their head and down the back of their neck, they fell asleep. The next thing they knew was the worst hangover that they had ever had, pounding their head awake. They’d had some pretty shitty hangovers in the past, but this one took the prize as they slowly sat up. God, they felt like trash.
Bob, boss
Bob pushed open the door to Nicholes' house, the second time in two days. She decided to ask Husinya to come in, in place of JC, at some point in the night, that unless they had previously had a hidden transforming or several, they would likely be incapacitated for a while before they had the strength to get up. However, in the modern day, after so many years of living, she could still come to surprises, JC back as a human and in shorts (thankfully) ambled out leaning against the wall and using an arm to lessen the amount of light that assaulted their eyes.
“Slept well, I see. I had Husinya take over your shift for today. I had a thought last night and decided it would be for the best, but I still texted Patrick, gave him your number, and told him about the circumstances, and he should text you soon, if he hasn't already.” Bob wanted to laugh at the face the human-no-werewolf made as she started to talk, but they soon got used to it.
“This is the worst hangover I have ever gotten. I thought coming down from marbles was bad. God, this is worse.” JC grumbled and shut their eyes. “Fuck.”
“I think Cyrus’s nickname suits you. Sad wet rat. Maybe it should be wolf, though…” Bob looked away.
“Sad wet rat, seriously?” JC groaned, looking at them.
“No, Wolf,” Bob answered.