Archive of Our Own

Gray remembered a cold, rainy night nine years ago. It never seemed to escape his memory, and sometimes late at night when he was staring at the ceiling and looking back on his life he would think of it, and he’d chew his lip.

He was trampling through thick brush in the forest, nine years younger, a Major in the U.S. Marine Corps. His skin was light brown and his dark hair was graying; it had been that way since his late twenties, probably from the stress, Xavier said. Beside him was a General in the Army, nicknamed Uni. His hair was brown and his eyes were dark red, which Gray always thought was rather striking. Gray never found out why everyone called him Uni.

Behind them was a cluster of cabins, once home to a group of cryptids who just wanted to separate themselves from human life. Gray, Uni, and a select few of other soldiers had been ordered to capture as many as they could, but kill if need be.

Gray had turned away from it all. General Uni glanced at him with a knowing look, dark eyes sending a wordless message in the night. Gray huffed, gripped his gun tighter, and walked away.

He was only walking for about a minute when a woman caught his eye. She was bloody and her eyes widened when she saw him. She bared her sharp teeth and flattened her ears; a weretiger. Gray stood there for a while, gun loosely pointed, his heart pounding in his chest. “You call us the monsters,” the woman whispered, and only then did Gray notice the infant behind her, screaming and sobbing.

Images of Gray’s son flashed in his head and he lowered his gun, nodding his head, telling them to run. The woman gasped, held her child closer, and fled. Gray watched her go, starting to feel awfully homesick. When he turned back around, he saw Uni watching him. Gray’s heart seized, but Uni dragged two fingers across his mouth, flicking away an imaginary zipper.

That was the cold, rainy night nine years ago that Gray never forgot.

----

“I’m- I’m not trying to be weird, no, I just want to know how the guy’s doing.” Gray pinched the bridge of his nose as he paced back and forth in the living room, thinking about the past. He put his phone between his ear and his shoulder, grabbing a pen and a pad of paper from his junk drawer. “Hold on. Alright, can you repeat that?”

Gray sometimes couldn’t believe he still spoke to Uni, on occasion. He hadn’t seen the man in nine years, but every couple months there’d be a phone call, or a favor to ask, and for some reason they had an odd unspoken pact with each other. “Gray, you listen to me now, it’s not my fault if the guy slams the door on your face, he got pretty worked up nine years ago, it’s literally why he moved to Atlanta,” Uni said, his accent almost making Gray sleepy. “Even you and I haven’t seen each other, as a general courtesy.”

“I know. I moved here to get away as well, after all.” Gray wrote down the information as Uni rattled it off, growing more uneasy with every stroke of the pen. He thanked his odd friend and hung up, setting his phone on the counter and leaning over the pad of paper, still chewing his lip.

‘Prof. Xavier White -- (404)-555-3753 ; 1201 Woodridge Dr.’

“This is fucked.” Gray tore the paper off the pad and crumpled it into a ball, tossing it in the trash. “Great, now I’m a creep.” He put his hand on his head and let out a loud sigh that turned into a groan. “You have no right to know his address, Gray, he probably doesn’t want to remember that time.” He chastised himself and hit himself on the side of the head a couple times.

If saving a mother and child from almost certain death was the night Gray could never forget, Xavier was the person Gray could never forget.

Professor Xavier White was well known and well respected. He worked at the CDC and he seemed happy, from what Gray could tell from secondhand information. Gray and Xavier hadn’t had a true conversation in, well, nine years, sometime soon after he spared the weretigers.

Nine years ago, Gray and Xavier had worked on the same classified government project. It was led by a doctor with questionable morals and involved experimenting on nonhumans, which the government had (secretly) known about for decades. Military force would provide the nonhumans and the doctors and scientists would conduct the experiments, although information and true intentions were hidden from most of the latter. Gray was shocked at how much Xavier didn’t know.

So, Gray told him the truth. After realizing what he was doing was wrong, Gray told Xavier everything about the project that he was previously not aware of. Xavier didn’t take it all too well, but after a bit of yelling and panicking, he thanked Gray for telling the truth and quit the project, moving away. Gray soon followed suit, along with Uni, and then the project was shut down, discreetly.

Gray thought of Xavier in the mornings, as he drank coffee and sat alone at the dining table. He used to stop by the lab some mornings back then, and Xavier would always smile at him. But then they both left, and Gray figured Xavier wouldn’t want to talk to him, not with all the memories it might bring, even if they both wound up in Atlanta.

Gray pushed his thoughts aside and went to make himself some coffee. He turned on the TV as background noise, ignoring it when the newswoman gave an important message about unusually large wolf sightings in the area.

----

Despite his best efforts, Gray remained distracted all day. Usually his thoughts dissipated by lunch, at the latest, but for some reason they persisted. Gray didn’t particularly enjoy it, so as the sun was setting, he decided to drive up to the nearby woods to cool off, watch the shadows stretch as the sun went down, take deep breaths, all that. It was a therapist’s suggestion, but Gray was never sure if it worked.

He’d gotten out of the car and taken a few steps into the woods when his phone rang. He dug it out of his back pocket; Uni was calling. Gray frowned and picked up. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“Something’s gone down in Queens,” Uni said, seeming out of breath. “Weird things, monsters, people going missing. Ross, it’s- it’s gotta be Ross.” His voice was frantic and and accompanied by the distinct noise of doors closing and locks latching. Gray sighed.

“Uni, you think everything’s Ross,” he said, just as he heard the sound of leaves crunching behind him. He turned around, and saw nothing. He breathed out through his nose, scanning the area.

“No, Gray, Gray Gray Gray, listen to me. I know it’s Ross. There’s this immortal I know, he’s been gone for a week, and his son is dead-”

Gray moved his phone close to his mouth. “Uni, shut up,” he whispered, his eyes narrowing. He didn’t move, and didn’t make a sound. He looked back the way he came and tried to calculate how long it would take to sprint to his car.

After a couple moments of standing in silence, with no imminent threat, Gray scoffed and shook his head. “Paranoid,” he mumbled to himself, bringing the phone back to his ear. “Hey, Uni I’m good-”

There was a loud growl, and Gray turned towards the noise to see a huge wolf, bigger than he’d ever seen before. He gasped and made himself as tall as he could, inhaling to make noise and drive it away.

The wolf snarled and lunged, teeth out. Gray put his arm in front of his face and the wolf bit down hard as it knocked him down. Gray let out a brief shout of pain and punched the wolf in the eye. “OW, JESUS!” a voice yelled after the wolf, almost deliberately, removed Gray’s arm from its maw without taking a bite out of him. It backed up, and Gray scrambled to his feet, holding his injured arm close to his chest, watching as the wolf ran away and disappeared behind some trees. Gray shook his head and blinked a couple times before he scooped up his phone and ran to his car.

“--Gray, Gray what the hell is going on!” Uni was still yelling into the phone, and Gray let out an annoyed huff, hanging up on him and tossing his phone into the car. He took his jacket off and tied it tight around the bite mark, which was starting to pulse with more and more pain as the adrenaline left him. He turned his key in the ignition and gunned it to the hospital, ignoring Uni’s attempts to call him back.

----

“Another wolf bite!” a nurse called, rushing Gray inside the emergency room. Gray wondered how long this visit was gonna take, and he wondered if he should have gone home instead and patched the wound up himself. But he didn’t want to risk infection, or rabies for that matter, and figured he could face small talk with the doctor, in the name of his health.

He was lucky, the doctor said, and after a couple stitches and a rabies shot he was given the paperwork. He was there for an hour max, and once he got home it was dark out.

When he got out of the car, a wave of nausea hit him. He leaned on his car, taking deep breaths, and he shut his eyes tight. “You’re okay, Gray. You’re okay,” he said to himself, and after a couple moments the nausea passed, temporarily at least. He tossed his bloody jacket in the wash and collapsed on his bed, feeling almost feverish.

----

Gray opened his eyes and gasped, propping himself up with his arms. He looked around, breathing heavy. He was in his living room, and it looked completely trashed. He frowned, clearly remembering laying in bed. “Did I- sleepwalk?” he whispered, trying to stand up. His legs shook and his stomach lurched and he fell back down, groaning. He felt sore as all hell, and for a while all he could do was lay there and try to gather himself. After a couple minutes he forced himself up and stumbled to the bathroom, leaning against the toilet, just in case his nausea went any further. He felt hot, but cold at the same time, which he recognized as a fever. Once he was sure he wasn’t going to vomit, he made his way to the bedroom with a bucket, laying in bed and calling the hospital.

----

Gray would have to ask someone to drive him to the hospital that night for his appointment. The nausea wasn’t letting up, and neither was the fever, even with Dayquil under his belt.

Uni was still trying to call, but Gray didn’t answer. He didn’t feel like dealing with Uni’s unrelenting paranoia while he was this sick. Uni would probably say he had a deadly disease, or something of the sort.

Gray’s tired eyes suddenly shot wide open. “The wolf spoke,” he said, as if he had just registered it. “The wolf spoke. No, it was just Uni on the phone. No.” Gray buried his head in his pillow. “I’m crazy. I’m going crazy.”

Gray grabbed his phone and spent hours looking up werewolves, finding nothing other than Wiki pages for shows meant for teenagers and complete bullshit made up by people who only thought they knew what they were talking about. He knew there wouldn’t be any legitimate sites online, he’d spent a while wrapped up in the conspiracy. He felt like he was losing his mind. He hadn’t encountered a cryptid in nine years, and didn’t remember all the briefings he received on all the different kinds; those memories had all been overpowered by the details of the night he spared the weretigers, and the details about Xavier.

“Couldn’t be,” Gray said aloud, to assure himself. “It was just a wolf. A really big wolf. In Atlanta.”

Gray leaned over and vomited into the bucket.

“Really big wolf in Atlanta.”

----

Gray woke up outside the next morning, laying down a couple feet away from his front porch. “What the fuck,” he spat, noticing his door was wide open. Despite the overwhelming sickness and soreness, he stumbled back to his house, leaning on the doorframe. It was then that he noticed his door was not only open, but hanging on its last hinge. Gray stopped breathing, stumbling back and nearly falling. His heart was pounding and his eyes were wide. He pressed his back to the wall, sliding down to a seated position, his legs sprawled out in front of him.

There were claw marks on the door, coming from the inside. Gray looked down at his arm and let out a shaky breath. “Shit,” he said, gripping at his hair. “Shit shit shit SHIT!”

He found himself making a break for his trash can.

----

It was a calm morning for Xavier White. He was drinking hot cocoa and streaming shows on his day off, still partially asleep, when the doorbell rang. He frowned, set his drink down, paused his show, and got up. He brushed his hair back with his fingers and adjusted his robe to cover the shirt he had on. He took a deep breath, smiled, and opened the door.

His smile dropped, and he slammed the door shut, eyes wide. “Major- that’s Major Gray,” he whispered to himself. “That’s Major Gray. I’m in my pajamas.”

Outside, Gray let out a breath. “Uni was right,” he said, and he stepped back.

“I’m in my pajamas and that’s-” Xavier stuttered. “I slammed the door on his face OH MY GOD-” He flung the door back open and stepped aside. “Major! Major. Major, I haven’t seen you in- I- are you okay?” He got a good look at Gray. His gray eyes looked sunken, he was shaking in the slightest, and his breathing was heavy. Xavier could tell Gray was pale.

“Afraid not, Professor. I really shouldn’t have driven here but you were the closest person who knows everything,” Gray said, stumbling inside. Xavier put a hand on his shoulder to steady him.

“Lay down on the couch, I’ll get you a little something to eat and drink. What do you mean, knows everything? It’s been nine years since I’ve seen you, Gray,” Xavier said, moving his blankets aside. Gray laid down slowly, and Xavier put a hand on his forehead. “Oh Jesus, you’re really warm. I’ll get ibuprofen.”

“Nothing works, no pills, no nothing. Anything I eat or drink, I throw back up. Take a look,” Gray said. He raised his arm, and Xavier noticed the bandages. He held Gray’s arm with gentle hands, shaking his head.

“Why are you here, Gray?” Xavier asked, but Gray could see the gears turning behind his deep blue eyes. He unwrapped the bandages, and he let out a quiet gasp. He covered his mouth and let go of Gray’s arm, taking a few steps back. “Oh, no.”

Gray wrapped his arm back up. “I got bit. By a wolf. Last night was the second night where I pretty much passed out and woke up in a different place. I woke up outside this morning, my door was all clawed up, I had to call a friend to fix it so I could come here-”

“Stop talking,” Xavier said, and Gray shut his mouth, all of a sudden feeling awful. Xavier looked terrified and Gray could see the memories in his eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” Gray said, so quietly that it was barely audible. Xavier sighed and pulled a blanket over Gray, rubbing his back briefly before walking to the kitchen.

“I have a spare bedroom, I can lock you in there, you’re staying the night. You need to learn to control your wolf form so you can turn when you want.” Xavier grabbed a spoon and an ice pack and made his way back to Gray.

“Woah woah woah, I was thinking more along the lines of, how do we stop me from becoming a goddamn werewolf!” Gray tried to sit up, but Xavier pushed him back down.

“You can’t. Once you’re bit, you’re done, it’s in your bloodstream, it’s changing your body. You’re in werewolf puberty. Hold this spoon for me.” Xavier held the spoon out and Gray took it. It was searing hot and he cursed in pain, dropping the spoon to the ground. He looked at his hand, squinting at the red marks he’d gotten, outlining the spoon handle. Xavier took his hand and put the ice pack on it. “Silver burns, you’re a werewolf.”

“That was silver?” Gray looked down at the spoon as Xavier picked it up off the ground.

“My grandmother gave me a set of silver tableware for some holiday, it’s finally getting some use huh?” Xavier smiled. When Gray didn’t smile back, Xavier sighed. “Look. You’re not getting out of this one, Major. At this point, all I can do is make it easier. Right now, your instinct is to go out at night to hunt, because that’s how it used to be. But werewolves have mastered the art of control, so they can turn when they want, with the exception of the full moon, which we don’t have to deal with yet. You need to learn control. So you don’t destroy your house or, kill someone. Got it?”

“Kill someone,” Gray breathed, putting his hand on his chest. “I could kill someone like this. Oh god, I should never have come here. I could kill you.”

“You’re not gonna kill me,” Xavier said, and he scoffed, but there was uncertainty in his voice. Gray started to stand up, and Xavier gasped, holding him back. “Do not do your noble soldier shit right now, Gray, let me help you. I know things about this, it’s gonna be okay, you’re gonna be okay.”

Gray hesitated, looking into Xavier’s eyes. He sat back down, leaning forward and putting his head in his hands. Xavier sat next to him, starting to reach his hand around Gray’s back. “Xavier- don’t, I’m fine.”

Xavier moved his hand back to his side. “So um. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you. What have you been up to? How’s um, don’t you have a son, he should be nineteen, twenty, now, right?”

“Died two years back,” Gray mumbled. Xavier stuttered and looked at his hands.

“I’m so sorry. God I should just- I’ll leave you alone. I’m such a-” Xavier didn’t finish his sentence, he just mumbled to himself as he got up and walked away.

“Xavier, it’s okay, come back. I could use the company. I’m feeling a little better, actually, what are you watching?” Gray smirked at the TV, and Xavier whipped back around. “Professor White, is that Big Little Lies?”

Xavier scooped up the remote and exited Hulu. “Don’t snoop, Major. Put on whatever you like, you’re the guest,” he said, handing the remote to Gray. “I am making you something to eat.”

“I throw it all up, Xavier, I told you that. Even crackers.”

“Wolves are carnivores, my dear. You’re getting bacon for breakfast, chicken for lunch, steak for dinner. Puberty, remember?” Xavier patted Gray’s shoulder and smiled. “I figured it out uh, at the lab. You’ll go back to normal soon, but for now you need to eat meat. Your body rejects everything else.”

Gray laid back down. “I gotta admit, bacon does sound really good right now.”

“There’s my Major, now, put something on the TV, I have pretty much everything.” Suddenly, Xavier’s smile fell. “Hold on. How’d you get my address?”

Gray froze. Xavier leaned over the back of the couch, looking ahead. “Gray. Who gave you my address.”

“Um, by any chance do you remember, General Uni?” Gray tried to smile. Xavier’s eyes widened a little bit.

“Uni has my address.”

“And your phone number.”

“And my phone number.”

“That would be correct, Professor.”

“Wonderful,” Xavier whispered with a fake smile, his eyes shut. He pushed himself off the couch and clapped his hands together. “That’s a situation for another time! You’re a werewolf, Uni has my address and my phone number, and I’m-” Xavier let out an awkward laugh and put his hand over his eyes. “I’m fine!”

“I’m really sorry, I should have gone somewhere else or, or dealt with this myself, I should go.” Gray got up, and Xavier grabbed his upper arm.

“Stay. I want to help you. I-” Xavier scoffed, “I missed you.”

“Alright, Xavier. But,” Gray patted the sides of his legs awkwardly, “be armed.”

Xavier didn’t respond to that.

----

“Xavier, get out, now, it’s getting dark, it could be any minute, I don’t get any warning when it happens-”

“Gray, calm down, I’m just making sure you have enough food,” Xavier said. Gray was laying down in bed, his fever having spiked, watching Xavier put a raw hunk of steak on a paper plate. “God, I hate the ones that eat raw meat.” Xavier lowered his voice to a mumble that Gray couldn’t hear. “Alright Gray, that should be enough.”

A low growl made Xavier freeze in place. “Gray?”

Xavier turned around and inhaled sharply as the huge gray wolf turned his head. “Gray,” Xavier said, and Gray stepped closer, growling louder. Xavier backed up, eyeing his pistol, which was resting on the table. Gray looked towards it as well, and then back at Xavier, teeth baring, as if it knew what Xavier was thinking. “Oh, shit. Hey, Gray, it’s me, it’s me Xavier, your- your friend? Am I your friend? I’d like to be your friend, and not your dinner, if you catch my drift.” Xavier backed himself into a corner, sliding down and pulling his knees to his chest. Gray walked closer, and Xavier flinched. “Gray. Please. Please.”

Xavier covered his face with his arms and braced himself. After a couple moments of silence, however, he noticed he was, in fact, not torn to shreds. He opened his eyes to see Gray staring back at him, eyes wide. “Gray?” Xavier asked, and Gray tilted his head. He sat down, huffing.

Xavier let out a scoff. “You’re not gonna kill me,” he said, and he reached a cautious hand out. Gray growled, and Xavier moved his hand away. “Yeah, you’re Gray alright… Oh god. There’s a werewolf in my house.”

Gray sniffed and turned to the meat on the paper plates. Xavier let out a shaky sigh as Gray sauntered away. He stood up. “Gray, can you understand what I’m saying?” he asked, reaching for his notepad. There was no response on wolf-Gray’s part. “Interesting, he can’t control his wolf form yet but he does seem semi-aware that I am a friend, not food. Maybe it’s scent. He also recognized the pistol as a weapon, and when I looked at it-”

Xavier stopped, his stomach dropping. “I looked at it. I thought about shooting Gray.”

Gray’s ears twitched back at the mention of his name. Xavier’s eyes softened as Gray walked up to him. “I’m sorry, Gray, that I couldn’t stop this from happening. You’re a pretty cool wolf, though, I gotta say,” Xavier laughed, and Gray leaned his head against Xavier’s hand. “Oh, I can pet you now, huh? You realize you missed me?”

Gray huffed and turned around all of a sudden, smacking Xavier with his tail. Xavier snickered some more as Gray jumped onto the bed. “Stubborn still!”

Xavier pulled up a chair and sat down, writing aggressively in his notepad. Whenever he glanced up, Gray was laying on the bed, looking back. “You’re very calm,” Xavier said. “What happened to the wolf that clawed his own door down? You just said hi to me, ate, and now you’re-”

Gray let out a noise and put his paw on an empty spot on the bed. Xavier sucked in a breath. “You’re telling me to sleep, aren’t you.”

Gray put his head down. Xavier scoffed and got up, resting his notepad on the chair. Once he got to the bed, Gray jumped down, settling himself down by the door and watching it with wide eyes. “You’re protecting me,” Xavier mumbled. “Don’t do that, Gray, I’m fine. That can’t be comfortable.”

Gray glanced back at Xavier.

----

Gray woke up calmer this time, his eyes fluttering open. He didn’t feel as sick, or as uncomfortable, and he actually felt rested. He groaned and rolled over. His breath seized.

He was in bed, Xavier sleeping soundly next to him. Gray covered his mouth and nearly fell off the edge. As he stood up and quietly walked away, faint flashes of memory came back to him. He glanced at the corner of the room, remembering Xavier’s wide, terrified eyes. Gray’s stomach flipped, and he winced, glancing back at Xavier.

He walked into the living room, snatched a pillow off the couch, and yelled into it.

----

Xavier woke up two hours later, and he was still rubbing his eyes when he walked out of the spare room and sat at the bar, following the smell of bacon. Gray turned to him and sighed, getting a second plate for him. “What the hell,” Gray said, and he pushed a glass of water towards Xavier.

“Hmm?” Xavier took a sip, his eyes closed.

“Why did I wake up sleeping next to you, Xavier!”

Xavier spit out the water, leaning forward. His eyes were wide. “I forgot about that,” he said, and Gray held out his arms.

“Logically, sleeping next to a wolf? Not a smart move, Professor!”

“Don’t- yell, at me, Major,” Xavier said firmly, holding his hand up. “Every time I tried to move to my own room you growled at me.”

Gray put his head in his hands. “I could’ve hurt you,” he said. “I almost did!”

Xavier’s eyes only brightened. “You recognized me! It was amazing, even though you didn’t have complete control over your actions you seemed to know that I’m your friend, that I needed sleep, and, you thought I needed protection, you watched the door, didn’t let me out of your sight, it was-”

Gray grabbed Xavier’s shirt and pulled him close, seething. “I am not one of your test subjects,” he hissed, and Xavier instinctively grabbed Gray’s wrist.

“Oh god, is that what I’m doing?” Xavier looked into Gray’s eyes, his expression sincere. “I don’t- I don’t mean to be like that.”

Gray winced and let go. Xavier put his hand on his chest, breathing heavy. Gray’s heart sunk. “Xavier-”

“Maybe I should go to work. I should go to work, give you some time. You should take a nap, I should get my mind off things for a couple hours, I’ll be back on time to deal with you, again, don’t worry,” Xavier rambled, standing up and crossing his arms tightly over his chest. “I’m gonna take a shower, then I’m gonna go.”

“I’m sorry Xavier, I’m just, I’m kind of freaking out, alright? You- you mean a lot to me, I know that this all probably brings back bad memories and I’m sorry. I will leave if you ask. Maybe Uni knows about this stuff,” Gray said, holding out a plate of bacon. “And here.”

Xavier turned around, and scoffed. “I’ll call in sick.”

Gray smiled. “I’m still mad at you for being so careless.”

“Understood. And, hey,” Xavier bit his lip. “You don’t, bring back bad memories. Whenever I end up thinking about the project, I, kind of, I try to think of you. The good person, y’know?”

“Really?” Gray looked away, and when he looked back he puffed out his chest a bit. “I mean, me too, uh, I’m really glad I knew you. Thank you for helping me out.”

Xavier uncrossed his arms and shrugged it off, blushing a bit. “Well, I-”

The doorbell rang, making them both jump. Xavier looked towards the door, flinching as someone kept banging on it. He started walking closer, but Gray grabbed his wrist. When Xavier looked back, Gray was covering his nose. “Something smells off.”

“Ooo, you got special werewolf scent now, right,” Xavier said. “What does it smell like?”

Gray lowered his hand and coughed. “Like,” he gasped, “like werewolf. But familiar. Someone I know.” He marched up to the door and opened it, not sure who else he expected. “General Uni.”

Uni was glaring intensely with his one good eye. “Good lord, Gray, why the hell did you hang up on me and just never call me back, I knew you’d be here you-” He froze, and sniffed. “You’re a werewolf.”

“You’re a werewolf,” Gray repeated, pointing at Uni. “I could smell it, why could I-”

“That’s what happened, isn’t it? You were bit! And then you came here!” Uni exclaimed, pushing past Gray and walking inside. Xavier reeled back at the sight of the General.

“Your eye,” he said, and Uni waved it off. There was a scar poking out of an eyepatch that Uni had over his eye, one that wasn’t there nine years ago.

“Your hair,” Gray added.

“A year back a couple things went down, one being my eye got scratched out by a werewolf, another being I got bit by that werewolf, a third being I started dyeing my hair blue. Hello, Professor White, haven’t seen you in a while.” Uni held out a hand, and Xavier hesitantly shook it.

“That’s crazy, I, I’m sorry,” Xavier said, and Uni sighed.

“It’s fine. I’m sorry for barging in, I just panicked and I drove all the way here, found a halfway decent motel, and then started looking for Gray, because the last time he called me, a werewolf apparently attacked him! And he didn’t think to call me back, so I thought he was dead!” Uni rambled, throwing his hands in the air. Xavier’s mouth dropped open.

“Gray, you didn’t call him back?”

Gray stuttered. “I had other things on my mind!”

“Whatever, it’s-” Xavier put a hand on his head. “Uni, you’re a werewolf?”

“Yes,” Uni said, and he stepped back. In the blink of an eye, Uni turned into a dark brown wolf. He sat, and then, he spoke. “Ta daa! Anyway, I guess while I’m here I should tell you what I know. Remember the phone call, Gray, where I said my immortal pal was missing, and his son was dead?”

Gray nodded, looking cautiously at Xavier. “Yeah, uh, what about it?”

“Around a week ago the immortal warned me about someone who was out to get him. I was in the Queens area, and I saw, um, you-know-who, there. The immortal had warned me about a crazy doctor doing experiments on cryptids and humans alike, mixing their DNA, or something, I don’t know all the details.” Uni spoke slowly, looking between Gray and Xavier.

Gray hesitantly put his hand on Xavier’s back. The Professor was silent, looking down, his brows furrowed. “Ross,” he said suddenly, and Gray’s arm slinked all the way around, giving Xavier a side hug. “I didn’t think I’d ever have to see him again, I thought he went deep underground.”

“He is underground, he just wants to keep doing his experiments, government funded or not,” Uni mumbled, and Xavier scoffed.

“They should’ve locked him up instead of paying everyone off to keep quiet. I don’t care if I would’ve gone to jail too, hell, maybe I should’ve gone to jail.” Xavier pushed Gray away. “I’m gonna take a shower, and then, and then I don’t know.”

When Gray looked at Uni, he was a human again, arms crossed over his chest. “Major,” he said, and Gray nodded to him.

“General. You’re a werewolf, huh? Hey, um, how long did it take you to, y’know, get in control of everything?” Gray asked, and Uni hummed, gazing upwards, red eye suddenly distant.

“Couple nights, no more than five days. But you seem alright, from what I can tell. You haven’t killed Xavier, so you’ve obviously gained some kind of control. Memories of being a wolf fuzzy?”

“Yeah.” Gray looked towards the bathroom where Xavier had disappeared to. “Apparently I was protecting him.”

Uni nodded. “Yeah, that happens with mates.”

Gray’s eyes widened. “What did you-”

“Oh come on, your romance is quite pungent, I could smell it a mile away. Repulsing, really, but very clear. You should ask him out to dinner or something.”

“Way out of line, General,” Gray hissed, his eyes burning holes through Uni.

“Sorry, sorry.”

----

Uni’s words echoed through Gray’s head all day. He left after snagging a couple pieces of bacon and apologizing one last time, but Gray couldn’t block out his voice. Ask Xavier to dinner. Gray had to admit it sounded nice, just the two of them, dressed up in a romantic restaurant. Xavier would look stunning, and hopefully it would all make him feel happy.

Gray didn’t realize what he was thinking until Xavier walked into the spare room. He quickly pushed the thoughts of romance back; there was too much going on for that sort of thing. “Hey,” he said. “Feeling any better? I know Uni can be blunt sometimes.”

“He means well,” Xavier said, shaking his head. “I’m okay. Thanks for uh, staying close.”

“No problem.” Gray smirked.

“Hey, are you gonna go home or stay the night again? I don’t mind if you stay,” Xavier said, and Gray thought on it for a moment.

“I’d rather not, wreck my house again. You said I was uh, calm with you?”

“Yeah, you slept for most of it, actually, I think.” Xavier put a pen to his lips as his mind wandered. Gray watched him, eyes soft, until he snapped out of it. Gray noticed that Xavier got that way sometimes; he got lost in thought for a couple moments, then came right back.

“What were you thinking about?” Gray asked, and Xavier smiled, suddenly awkward.

“Um, just wondering why you were so calm, I can’t really put my finger on it.” Xavier frowned and leaned forward in the swivel chair he’d rolled over. “I mean, werewolves experience scent differently, they use it as a tool to locate friend versus foe, so maybe that was it? Maybe because you spent time around me and consider me a friend, you picked up a scent. Or something of the sort.”

Gray nodded slowly, because Xavier was right. He could sense, in a way, that Xavier was a friend the same way he could tell Uni was a werewolf. There was something else there, too, but Gray didn’t acknowledge it.

“It’s whatever. I’m gonna make dinner, your eating is getting back to normal, right?”

“Oh uh, yeah.”

----

Xavier woke up in the middle of the night to wolf-Gray gently nudging at his hands and the sound of his phone ringing. He groaned and picked up his phone, squinting at the contact picture. “Oh my god,” he whispered, answering and putting the phone to his ear. “Jin? Is that you?”

“Xavier I made a really big mistake, I made a really big mistake.” Jin’s voice was frantic, and Xavier sat up. Gray watched, eyes fierce.

“Jin, where are you, I haven’t heard from you in two weeks, you’re my best friend,” Xavier said, and Jin sucked in a shaky breath.

“I know you told me not to talk to Doctor Ross, but his experiments, I… I couldn’t stay away.”

Xavier paled. “Jin. Where are you,” he said, and Gray hopped onto the bed, whining softly. Xavier pushed him away. “Jin, answer me.”

“I'm in Queens, Ross got something real bad from this dude, an- an angel feather, says it’s all powerful, I need to get out of here but I’m afraid to drive he said he could cause a car crash-”

“Ross is there?” Xavier leaned forward, a hand on his head, gripping at his hair. “Jin get away from him! NOW! He plays mind games, you’re probably fine, it was probably all talk!” The ‘probably’ hung in the air like a thick fog.

“O-Okay! I’m going! I’ll call you when I get to Atlanta, okay?” Jin’s voice had calmed in the slightest. Xavier sighed.

“Yeah, do that. Then come here. Fill me in, okay? I uh, I heard he was in Queens from someone else, too.” Xavier was starting to shake.

“I’m so sorry. I should’ve run sooner, but I thought he might hurt someone,” Jin said, and Xavier shut his eyes tight.

“It’s okay. Just come home safe.” Xavier and Jin shared a couple goodbyes and then Jin hung up, leaving Xavier alone in the dark with a wolf.

Xavier put his head in his hands, and Gray leaned on him.

----

When Gray came to, Xavier was wide awake and on his laptop, sitting at the desk by the bed. “Xavier, hey, what are you doing up?” Gray asked, rubbing his eyes. He felt tired, like he hadn’t slept much.

“My friend, Jin, he called me, he confirmed Uni’s claims about Ross. I’m trying to figure out what to do about it,” Xavier mumbled, and Gray frowned at him. He vaguely remembered the blare of the computer screen in the dark and Xavier’s wavering voice. “I can’t just stand by.”

“Xavier, I appreciate your bravery, I really do, but you have a lot on your mind right now. How about I sort myself out and go home, and then Uni and I can deal with this. There are others we can call, with military experience. I don’t want you getting hurt, okay?” Gray stood up, walking to the desk and putting his hands on Xavier’s shoulders. “Let me handle everything.”

Xavier shook his head, slamming his laptop shut. “My friend is in deep shit, okay? I gotta help. You should take a nap, by the way, you didn’t sleep last night. I’ll go to my room,” he said harshly, picking up his laptop and tucking it under his arm as he stood up. Gray sighed and watched him go.

“Xavier-”

“I’m not running away this time, alright? I am an adult, I can handle Ross, I’m past his manipulation, I am smart.” Xavier turned around. “Gray, I’m alright. Promise.”

Gray took a deep breath and held out his arms. Xavier scoffed and walked back, slipping right into Gray’s embrace. “I don’t hug just anyone, y’know,” Gray said, and Xavier snickered.

“Am I in the extremely exclusive inner circle then?” he joked. Gray chuckled and let Xavier go, both their arms lingering in place for half a second.

“I didn’t think I had one,” Gray said. He motioned to the bed. “So I think I’m gonna, y’know, sleep. You probably should too, but um, do what you want. I guess.”

Xavier stood by the door as Gray laid down, facing away from him. He sighed and walked out, closing the door behind him.

----

Gray was half-awake when the doorbell rang a couple hours later. He propped himself up on his elbow, listening closely for the sound of Xavier’s footsteps. Once he heard them, he got out of bed and opened the door to the room, peering out as Xavier unlocked the front door and opened it.

“Jin!” Xavier exclaimed, and he pulled someone inside with a tight embrace. Gray narrowed his eyes, remembering the name faintly from the night before. Jin was with Ross. Gray gripped the doorknob tighter.

“Xavier, oh my god,” Jin mumbled, hiding his face. His black hair was tangled and his breathing was labored. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay, I’m just glad you’re safe! Make yourself at home, please, I can’t believe you were all the way in New York,” Xavier said, breaking the hug and closing the door. He shut the curtains and turned back, freezing when he saw Gray. “You’re up.”

“Yeah, I am. Why is he here?” Gray snapped, walking out of the room and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Doctor Jin is the one who called me last night, um,” Xavier cleared his throat, “he works with me at the CDC.”

“How did he get involved with Ross?” Gray asked, blunt. Xavier shot him a glare, and Jin glanced away.

“He approached me, two weeks ago. Told me who he was, how he had lots of opportunities for me, I just, got pulled in by his experiments, but then he showed me the truth and I- I knew it was wrong. I ran, alright?” Jin explained, and Xavier put a hand on his back.

“You’re alright, Jin. This is Major Gray, by the way. I apologize for him, he can be…” Xavier trailed off. “Anyway. He worked on the same project I did, but in the military parts, he was the one who told me the truth.”

Jin nodded slowly, with distrustful eyes. Gray returned the gaze.

“So this is the infamous Major Gray. Why is he here?” Jin mumbled. Xavier sighed and put his hand on his forehead.

“God, behave, both of you!” he shouted, making the other two soften their gazes and turn to him. “Jin, Gray is here because he- he just needs my help, okay! Gray, Jin isn’t with Ross anymore, Ross plays mind games and you know that! He kept us around for that long, didn’t he!” Xavier hit both of them on the arm and shook his head. “Children!”

“Sorry,” Gray said, and Xavier squeezed his arm tightly before he walked away.

“Jin, do you need to eat? Drink? I have coffee, I can make you anything,” Xavier offered.

“Maybe just some water,” Jin mumbled, messing with the zipper of his jacket. Gray walked over and put a hand on Xavier’s back. Jin noticed and frowned.

“I’ll get it, you’re running on little sleep, you should take today to rest,” Gray said, and Xavier said nothing, only stepping aside to let Gray into the kitchen.

Xavier disappeared in his room for a moment, and Gray and Jin sat in silence. Jin sipped at his water, seeming tired and frazzled. Gray’s eyes softened in the slightest, just for a moment. Jin seemed young, impressionable; Gray could see it in his eyes. Gray was the same nine years ago, with the need to obey and impress, then lured in by the amazement of Ross’ knowledge. It made him, and all of the rest, dangerous, Xavier included. They were dangerous enough to uproot lives and rip a boy away from his family and friends.

Given the chance, Gray would not trust himself.

“Xavier talks a lot about you,” Jin said, and it was clear he didn’t trust Gray either. “And for some reason I really don’t want to ask about, you’re staying at his house.”

“He’s helping me,” Gray said, deadpan.

“I don’t care. But if you hurt him, Major Gray, I swear to god, you’ll regret it.” Jin’s eyes sparked with flame, but Gray only stared.

Then, he couldn’t help but scoff. He took Jin’s wrist and gripped it tightly, scaring the protective look off Jin’s face. Jin jerked his hand away, to no avail. His eyes went wide. “How about this,” Gray said, his voice quiet. “I hope for your sake you’re telling the truth about Ross. He let you go for a reason, whether you know that reason or not. So, if you get Xavier hurt, I can guarantee that you’ll regret it even more. Doctor.”

Gray let go, just as Xavier walked back into the living room. Gray smiled at him. Jin gathered himself and took a couple big gulps of water.

Xavier seemed a bit less tired. His hair was combed and he’d put on a new outfit. He stood close to Gray and across from Jin. “Why’d you come here?” Xavier asked Jin.

“I, uh, this is childish but I didn’t want to be alone. I uh, I need your help, and I know you have a whole history with Ross, but, I just…” Jin shook his head. “This is crazy, Xavier, even crazier than I thought. He kidnaps people. Turns them into, into these man-made cryptids. And they listen to him!”

“Man-made cryptids,” Gray mumbled. Xavier winced at the thought, and Gray squeezed his shoulder, ignoring Jin’s glare.

“That’s beyond fucked up,” Xavier said, shaking his head and subconsciously moving closer to Gray.

“That’s not all. He kidnapped this angel? And took one of his feathers. I let him and his group go after, and they ran away. Then Ross pretty much threatened to kill me. And you, Xavier,” Jin added. Gray breathed out hard through his nose.

“Okay that’s it. I’m calling Uni and he and I and any others we can get together are gonna kick Ross’ ass once and for all,” he growled, and Xavier hit his arm.

“Are you insane! Apparently he has ultimate power from a fucking- angel feather?” Jin nods. “Gray, as much as I believe in you, you can’t go fight Ross without any idea what you’re up against!”

“We’ll find out what we’re up against! You know more than I do, do you have any idea about angels?” Gray put a hand on Xavier’s shoulder. The Professor nodded.

“A bit, I mean, I know they can make miracles happen, and if someone gets a feather, they can do the same, but I know nothing about causing tragedies like Jin said. Car crashes don’t sound like miracles to me,” he explained, and Jin shrugged.

“The angel’s wings were black, not white or gold like usual. Maybe the higher ups didn’t tell you about that type of angel because they thought they could use them as a weapon,” Jin said, and Gray bit his lip.

“That is a thing the government does,” Gray mumbled, lowering his hand. “Anyway, whether it’s some coverup or not, Uni mentioned one of his friends was kidnapped by Ross. An immortal.”

“That’s- that’s the angel’s dad!” Jin exclaimed. “Luciano Cielo, I remember him.”

“Fuck,” Xavier shut his eyes, “we have to call Uni.”

----

“Oh, we’re fucking screwed,” Uni said, taking a sip of his drink. Xavier let out an annoyed sigh, turning away and pressing his fingers to his temples. Gray looked from him to Uni.

“Come on, there’s gotta be something we can do,” Gray urged, and Uni shook his head.

“Black winged angels are destructive forces, so much so that there’s only one alive at a time. They’re the angels of death, my good friend, and if Ross got ahold of that feather, and he has you guys in mind, bon voyage,” the General explained, and Xavier wrapped a protective arm around Jin, fear in both their eyes. Gray’s glare burned through Uni.

“No one dies on my watch.”

Uni laughed and slammed his drink onto the counter. Xavier whined, reaching out to check for chips in the granite. “A lot of people died on our watch, Gray, and you know that,” Uni said, his voice harsh. “Don’t pretend like you’re better than me, like you didn’t stand by, just like I did, just because you spared one damn mother and child. What we did was unspeakable, and now? We’ve been punished for our crimes, turned into the very creatures we let down.”

“We can’t change the past, Uni, the best we can do is turn ourselves around and make things better for the future! If we find a way to stop Ross, to-” Gray glanced at Xavier, “to kill him, we aren’t only saving our own lives, but so many others. We can’t do nothing. He’s experimenting on people. You called me first, Uni. You called me first.”

Uni huffed, looking at Xavier and Jin. The longer he looked, the more his gaze softened. “Fine!” He stood up and crossed his arms over his chest. “To kill Ross, not to save you,” he lied.

“We’re gonna kill him,” Xavier mumbled, nodding. “I guess we have to.”

“You aren’t gonna do anything,” Gray ordered. “You stay here, Uni and I will deal with Ross.”

“If we leave Xavier and Jin alone, Ross will no doubt go for them instead of paying any attention to us,” Uni said, and Gray cursed. “We can’t keep them out of the crossfire on this one, pal. I’m not letting those two out of my sight, now that I think about it.”

“You’re forgetting I can handle myself,” Xavier said, looking a bit offended. “You’re talking like I’m a child. And Jin, too. Not to mention, all of us being in one place probably isn’t the best plan, huh?”

“I can’t just go home after hearing all this, I’m serious,” Uni said.

“I’m not going either, I’d like to be sure you’re safe,” Gray said.

Xavier sighed and covered his face. Jin responded for him. “What do you suggest we do then?”

Gray hit the counter with the side of his fist. “I don’t know, kid, but knowing him he’s probably gonna follow the trail you made right to this house, and if he hits us at night I can’t-” he caught himself, but both Xavier and Uni perked up, as if just realizing.

“Oh, shit, I completely forgot,” Uni mumbled, turning to Gray. “How are you?”

“What’s going on?” Jin asked, and Xavier avoided eye contact. Gray took a deep breath and shifted from one foot to the other.

“I happen to be, um, a werewolf,” he said, and Uni raised his hand.

“Me too!”

“But he’s fine, I’m still turning every night without any control, which poses a serious problem,” Gray mumbled, rubbing his eyes. Jin was pale.

“Are you fucking serious. Xavier!” Xavier put his hand on his chest as Jin turned towards him.

“He was scared!” Xavier exclaimed, and Gray frowned at the accusation.

“Well hold on,” Gray said, and Xavier groaned.

“Oh good lord, Gray, can we not do this right now!”

“Would everyone quit their goddamn whining!” Uni shouted, and the other three went silent. Uni got up and smoothed out his shirt. “Jin, was it, Gray won’t hurt Xavier because Gray, in wolf form, recognizes Xavier’s scent as a friendly one! At this point, Gray is less of a danger and more of an inconvenience!” Uni sighed. “Let’s focus on one problem at a time. Right now, there’s not really much we can do about Gray until night comes. Same with Ross, but at least we can prepare for any attack he might plan.”

“So we’re just gonna wait,” Jin said. Uni nodded.

“And prepare,” he clarified. Gray and Xavier exchanged worried glances.

----

There was a gentle knock at Xavier’s open door. He looked up, and Gray was leaning on the doorway. The sun was setting, and Gray felt feverish.

“Hey, what’s up,” Xavier said, sticking a tacky bookmark in the book he was reading and setting it aside. Gray stuck his hands in his pockets and took a step inside.

“I uh, I wanted to say sorry,” he said, and Xavier squinted.

“Oh, for what, my dear?” Xavier asked, watching as Gray stood over him and leaned on his desk.

Gray sighed. “For stressing you out. I wish I didn’t, I mean, I, I probably could have avoided being bitten, is what I’m saying. I was just a bit distracted that day. I just wanted to say that before I turn into a fucking, wolf for the night.”

Xavier glanced at his window as the sky darkened from vibrant oranges to tranquil blues. “Don’t say things like that,” he said, figuring that, when he turned around, Gray would be a wolf and his words would be lost. “I don’t like what ifs. They don’t do anyone any good.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Gray’s voice hummed, and Xavier tilted his head. He turned back to Gray, his eyes widening. “But I’m only saying, I feel bad for, for getting you involved in my problems, I guess?”

“Gray,” Xavier whispered, pointing.

“Yeah?”

“Gray you’re not a wolf.”

Gray paused, pushing himself off the desk and looking at his hands. “I’m not a wolf. The sun is set and I’m not a-” He stumbled, putting his hand on his forehead as a wave of nausea hit him. Xavier stood up and replaced Gray’s hand with his own.

“You’re warm, like the other nights. How do you feel?” he noted, eyes wide. Gray shrugged.

“A little dizzy, maybe,” he said, letting Xavier grab his hand to help keep him steady. “Xavier what’s going on.”

“Try to turn into a wolf,” Xavier said. Gray stared at him oddly.

“I thought the goal was to help me not turn into a wolf.”

“No! I mean, so that you’re in control!” Xavier pressed, letting go of Gray’s hand and stepping back. “Turn into a wolf!”

“Quit yelling at me and maybe I’ll do it!” Gray shouted, and Xavier covered his mouth and nodded. Gray steadied himself and stood there for a few moments. “Uhh. Wolf. Now. Come forth? I sound like an idiot.”

Xavier glared. “Gray-”

“Okay! Okay.” Gray took a deep breath and said, “You were right, by the way. I am scared.”

Xavier slowly lowered his hands, his eyes soft. “Gray, you’re gonna be alright,” he reassured, and Gray scoffed at him. He shook the jitters out of his hands and summoned the part of himself he’d been avoiding. He flinched, and when he opened his eyes, he was shorter. “Gray?”

“Xavier,” Gray said, or not quite said. It was more like a thought he could pass on to others without moving his mouth. “Xavier I’m a wolf.”

“You’re a wolf!” Xavier exclaimed, falling to one knee and scratching behind Gray’s ear. “I can understand you, Gray, you did it my dear!”

Gray shut his eyes again and opened them as a human being, kneeled, facing Xavier. “I did it.” He found himself grinning, opening and closing his fists. “I DID IT!” He went back and forth a couple times, pausing in human form to pull Xavier to his feet and hug him tightly. Xavier laughed and hugged back, feeling Gray’s chest and shoulders bounce with laughter.

The hug began to break, hands slipping away from each other, until they both found themselves leaning in. Xavier leaned back into Gray’s arms as they kissed, everything else falling away for a moment. Uni gagged and covered his nose in the other room.

Gray’s eyes widened, and he suddenly pulled away, hands on Xavier’s lower back. “Xavier, what if kissing transmits-”

“Only bites that break the skin,” Xavier mumbled, leaning back in. Gray held his face, stopping him.

“Are you sure?” Gray asked, and Xavier smiled, holding Gray’s face in return.

“I’m sure, I was looking through my old notes a couple days ago,” he said, and Gray pecked him.

“You’re so smart,” he whispered, easing back into a kiss. They hugged after that, Gray rubbing Xavier’s back. “Would you want to maybe, go to dinner after this is all over?” Gray asked. Xavier laughed and pulled away just enough to gaze into Gray’s eyes.

“Oh, definitely. What are you thinking, Italian?”

“Whatever you want, I’m easy.”

“Oh, my dear,” Xavier said, the words almost slurring. “How about Valentino’s?”

Gray thought on it. “Sounds good to me. Valentino’s, let’s say, Saturday night? Eight?”

“I’ll check my calendar, but all signs point to yes, Major Gray,” Xavier said, hugging Gray tightly. “We’ll get out of this, won’t we?”

“Of course we will,” Gray mumbled into Xavier’s hair, trying not to let his mind wander too much. “We- we have to.”

Xavier held him closer and Gray felt like ripping Ross’ throat out.

“Xavier, what was all the yelling about-” Jin froze at the door. “Oh. I see everything is uh, under control.”

Xavier inhaled and broke the hug, keeping one hand on Gray’s back. “Yes, you could say that.”

Uni joined Jin, covering his nose. “Gosh, you two’ve kissed now, haven’t you? I can smell it from the other room. Congratulations,” he groaned. Xavier snickered.

Jin looked skeptical, and he had some kind of nonverbal conversation with Xavier that Gray and Uni weren’t in on before he finally took a deep breath and said, “No signs of Ross yet.”

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m gonna have a damn drink,” Uni mumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking away. Xavier followed him out, pulling Gray with him by the hand.

“Now hold on, Uni, there are some drinks I’m saving for special occasions that I don’t want you to-”

“This is as special an occasion as any, Professor, don’t you think?” Uni protested, quickly finding the alcohol in Xavier’s kitchen. He took out an expensive looking bottle of wine. “Just one drink, one. I won’t get drunk, it messes with transformations anyway.”

Xavier sighed, and nodded. “Pour me a glass too.”

Gray’s eyes widened, and Jin stuttered. “Xavier,” they both said in unison. Xavier looked between them and shrugged.

“What the hell else are we going to do?”

----

Gray was pacing back and forth by the front door, switching between wolf and human form every few seconds and stopping to peer out the window every few minutes. Uni would join him occasionally, taking sips of wine and watching for movement in the darkness.

“We don’t even know if Ross is coming here, now that I think about it,” Uni said as he watched Gray squint at a car driving by. “Maybe he planted the idea in our heads, by letting Jin run over here. Maybe he just wants to scare us. Or scare Xavier, I mean, since he doesn’t know you and I are here. Hey! At least he doesn’t know we’re here! I bet we could catch him off guard and kill him.”

“He can cause tragedies, he can give Xavier a heart attack, two werewolves aren’t gonna put him down,” Gray spat, resuming his pacing. Uni set his wine glass down on the windowsill.

“I’m all for being pessimistic, Major, but I think you should cheer up a bit. Your crush slash obsession of over nine years kissed you and you’re over here, y’know, not next to him, worrying your ass off when there’s literally nothing we can do about Ross right now except wait and see what he does. You’re acting a bit like me, actually. It’s disturbing.” Uni finished off the last of his wine.

Gray paused and looked over at Xavier, who was sitting on the couch and talking to Jin. “I really don’t like this. We’re sitting ducks.”

“Yeah, he could come at any moment and kill us all, huh,” Uni sighed, and Gray glared at him. “Sorry. Optimistic Uni doesn’t last long.”

Gray shook his head. “If something happens to Xavier I don’t know what I’d-” He glanced away, a hand on his forehead. “I don’t like losing people.”

“Yeah, I know. I don’t like it either.”

“So maybe we can’t let that happen.”

Uni nodded slowly. “Maybe we can’t.”

Xavier and Jin watched the two military men talk, Xavier swishing the wine around in his glass anxiously.

“Ey mate, how many times did you go to the gym this week?” Jin mimicked Uni’s voice, and Xavier glanced back at him, smirking in the slightest.

“Uhh, so many times I lost track,” Xavier responded as Gray, deepening his voice. Jin snorted and covered his mouth. “I’m so strong, I’d win in a fight against you.”

“No way, bugger off mate.”

“Bugger off mate?” Xavier laughed, whacking Jin in the back of the head. “This is mean, we’re mean.”

“Oh come on, you’ve gone soft,” Jin said, and Xavier smiled over at Gray. Gray looked back at that moment, smiling back. Jin fake-gagged, and Xavier hit him again. “Hey! Fine, I’ll be supportive. You two gonna go, ah, get a room, at some point tonight?”

Xavier scoffed. “Look at him, he’s worried sick. I don’t think I’ll tear him away from that spot until Ross is out of the equation, and god knows when that’s gonna happen,” he explained, shrugging it off.

“Wait, if you two have-”

“I won’t turn into a werewolf, I checked.” Xavier handed Jin his glass of wine and stood up. “Take this, I’m gonna go interrupt them, make sure no one’s tearing their hair out. You alright?”

“I’m fine, talk to your boyfriend,” Jin reassured, and Xavier ruffled his hair before walking away. Jin sipped nervously at the wine, looking over his shoulder at the dark hallway behind him.

Xavier reached out and held Gray’s hand. Gray jumped, but softened when he saw Xavier. Uni scrunched up his nose. “God, never seen the Bond happen so fast in a couple,” he noted. Xavier blushed and opened his mouth to respond when a wine glass crashed to the floor. The three whipped around to see Jin standing up and staring wide-eyed down the hallway, his face ghostly pale. Gray gasped and pushed Xavier behind him.

“Seems I wasn’t invited to the reunion,” Doctor Ross said, leaning on the wall at the opening of the hallway. He spun a black feather between two fingers. “Is this it? How about Francis Burke, that poor intern? Sergeant Cory? Oh, right, I heard he died in some werewolf attack a year ago. Some poor wolves searching for revenge for family members lost in the experiments. Gruesome stuff, I heard.”

“Shut your goddamn mouth,” Uni growled, and Gray grabbed his arm warily.

“So Ross,” Gray hissed, “what the hell do you think you’re gonna do now? You needed Jin to run here, huh, to find Xavier’s address. Didn’t expect Uni and I, did you?”

Ross chuckled and took a step closer to Jin. Xavier’s nails dug into Gray’s hand, and Gray squeezed back in an attempt to calm him.

“You’re all so predictable, you know that? Come on, I’ve known all your addresses since I met you,” Ross said, scoffing. “I kept tabs on you for nine years, and then one day I figured I’d do a little side experiment, since I know you so well.”

“The hell do you mean,” Xavier spat, stepping forward a bit. Ross waved a hand at him.

“Well, I heard what happened to Uni a year ago, turning into a werewolf and all, and I appreciated the irony. All it took was a simple mention to a werewolf that Gray was partially responsible for his father dying, and suddenly it was all in motion, just as I hypothesized.”

Gray’s breathing hitched. Xavier covered his mouth.

“And I mean, you’re welcome,” Ross said, motioning to Gray and Xavier’s intertwined hands. Gray gasped and wrenched his hand away from Xavier’s. Xavier looked up at Gray with big, sad eyes.

“This was all you? Me becoming a werewolf, was ALL YOU?” Gray yelled, stomping forward and slamming Ross against the wall. “I’ll kill you.”

“Oh, go on ahead,” Ross said, shrugging. “But it would be a shame to separate the dynamic duo, I would correct that immediately.”

Gray frowned, and Xavier paled. “What-”

“That’s what Xavier used to call he and I at the lab. Hah, Xavier. Wouldn’t it be a tragedy if he dropped dead?” Ross grinned, and Gray froze. “Even if you take the feather from me it would be too late, it would already be in motion and since the feather only causes tragedies and not miracles there would be no hope for your little crush, would there?”

Gray narrowed his eyes, shouted, and let go of Ross.

“Oh, is that wine? I’ve had that brand before, it’s awfully good. Expensive, though,” Ross droned, walking past Jin and opening the cabinet where Xavier kept the wine glasses. Xavier felt sick to his stomach, watching in horror as Ross maneuvered through the kitchen like he knew exactly where everything was.

“Gray,” Xavier said, his voice wavering. Gray gasped and rushed back to him, holding him close.

“I’m sorry,” Gray whispered, “I don’t know what came over me.”

Ross poured himself a glass of wine, the feather still tucked between his fingers. “Anyone else want some?” he asked, shrugging when no one responded. “Okay, suit yourselves.”

“What do you want,” Jin said, and Ross paused for a moment, as if in thought.

“To be included in the reunion, I thought I said that already.” Ross took a long sip of wine. “Mmm, that’s some damn good stuff right there. How’s being a werewolf, Gray?”

“Not particularly fun, Doctor,” Gray said through gritted teeth, his face red with rage. Ross nodded.

“I can imagine. But it brought you and Xavier closer, didn’t it? Never considered myself much of a matchmaker, but I made an exception for you two, seems like.”

“You knew everything, huh,” Xavier said, stepping forward. Gray tried to keep him back but Xavier shot him a glare, and he backed off. “But if you knew everything, why aren’t we dead? We know about the feather, we’re a threat, why aren’t we dead!”

Ross smiled. “Oh Xavier, you think too highly of yourself. You’re not a threat to me. None of you are, and none of you ever will be. I figured you all should know that before you carry on with your lives feeling all anxious about me killing you,” he explained, waving a hand at Xavier and pausing to drink more. “You’ve all got absolutely nothing to worry about.”

“You threatened to kill me,” Xavier mumbled, and Ross hummed.

“I knew he wouldn’t do it if I threatened you. I know all his weaknesses, all of yours, all of Uni’s and Jin’s. Like I said, you’re no threat to me. I know how to make you not be a threat,” Ross clarified. “You only thought I was going to come here to kill you because I happen to have this feather, and I happened to mention Xavier as an example of what I could do. I figured I didn’t even need to show up, but I was in a good mood and I decided to drop by and say hello.”

Jin looked away, feeling guilty. Ross drank the last of the wine in his glass and checked his watch. “Oh, look at the time. Well, I have a meeting to attend to, it was really nice catching up with you guys,” he said, making his way to the door and grabbing a gray coat off the coat hanger that none of them had noticed. He put it on, smirking at Gray and Uni. “Have good, long lives, all four of you. Goodnight.”

Then Ross was gone, and Jin let out a big breath he’d been holding in, hiding his face in his hands. Xavier ran over to him and hugged him tightly. “Jesus,” Uni mumbled.

“This is my fault, I told you he was gonna come get us, I didn’t know it was all a part of his game, I- OH GOD!” Jin cried, and Xavier shook his head.

“This all predates you, Jin, you’re okay! We’re okay,” Xavier reassured, rubbing Jin’s back. “He manipulated all of us, he probably still is, I- Gray.”

Gray walked over and put a hand on Jin’s back. “Xavier’s right. It’s not any of our faults.”

“What the hell do we do now?” Uni asked, and Gray turned back to him.

“Listen to him. He said he won’t kill us.”

“Remember what we just said about him being a manipulator?” Uni shot back, and Gray scoffed.

“Yeah, and we’ll come up with something, alright? We can’t let him walk the earth, but until we can figure out a solid plan-”

“We lie low,” Xavier finished, and Gray nodded.

“We lie low.”

Uni sighed, and nodded. “We lie fucking low.”

----

Xavier hugged Jin again to say goodbye, and Gray shook hands with Uni.

“When the full moon comes around, give me a call and tell me what you do, I’d like to laugh at some point in the future,” Uni said, and Gray smirked.

“Alright, General, I will. I’ll see you around.” Gray paused. “What the hell, come here.” He gave Uni a hug, and Uni froze, eyes wide. Xavier grinned and joined the hug, quietly thanking Uni. Gray laughed and broke the hug after a couple seconds, for Uni’s sake. “Loosen up a bit, Un.”

“A-Alright,” Uni mumbled, saluting Gray and leaving. “Fuckin’ weird.”

Gray smiled and turned to Xavier and Jin. The latter held out a stiff hand, still seeming freaked out. “Um, I’m sorry for everything, you seem like a nice guy,” he said, and Gray shook it firmly.

“Hey, I don’t blame you, X is your best friend. I’ll take care of him for you, I promise,” Gray said, nodding to Jin. Jin cracked a smile and nodded back.

“I’m watching you,” he joked, pointing two fingers from his eyes to Gray. Gray chuckled and hit him on the shoulder.

“Get out of here, kid.”

Jin waved and left, leaving Gray and Xavier alone in a house that might never feel safe again.

“So. Guess we’re still on for dinner,” Gray said, and Xavier nodded.

“That we are. Hey, my dear? I have a question for you.”

“Shoot.”

“What do you think about the idea of, um, me never sleeping alone or in this house again?” Xavier looked at Gray, and the marine melted under the professor’s fearful gaze.

“Wanna get away?” Gray asked, rubbing Xavier’s back. Xavier nodded and leaned on Gray. “Okay. We can get away.”

----

The door to the cabin creaked when it opened, and Gray was thankful he bought WD-40. The air smelled natural for a change, out in the woods.

“This is a murder cabin. Are you a murderer?” Xavier asked, and Gray glared at him.

“It’s a nice cabin that I paid a lot of money for, Xavier.”

“That’s so weird, why do you need a cabin?”

“Did you not say you wanted to get away!”

“I am joking, Gray, good lord,” Xavier mumbled, walking past his boyfriend and inside the cabin. Gray flicked the lights on.

“I’m gonna go get the stuff from the car, you settle in, okay? You said you were carsick, lay down,” Gray pressed. Xavier walked around, taking the cabin in. It was smaller than Gray’s house, but it looked like it had rarely been used. He stopped and stared at a picture of Gray in the woods giving a young boy a piggyback ride. He let out a sigh and wiped the dust off the picture before finding the bedroom.

The bedspread was tacky, and probably dusty, but Xavier collapsed on top of it anyway, groaning at the firmness of the mattress. “God, Gray, that fucking weirdo,” he grumbled into the pillow, figuring he’d get have to used to it.

As Xavier waited for the carsickness to drain away, he heard Gray bringing everything inside and putting it away as he went. Xavier must have fallen asleep at some point, because he blinked and then the door was closed, the light was off, and there was a blanket over him, the blue one from Gray’s house that he really liked. He smiled and pulled it closer.

Then he heard the faint noise of a drawer closing, and he saw a figure in the dark, and he screamed.

Gray jumped and whipped around, a stack of Xavier’s shirts in his hands. “You alright?” he spoke loudly, and Xavier let out a breath.

“Shit, I thought it was- I- I’m sorry,” Xavier said, a hand on his head. Gray frowned and set the clothes down, climbing onto the bed and laying next to Xavier.

“I’m sorry you’re so jumpy. Come here,” Gray cooed, and Xavier settled into the little spoon position. “You got a big werewolf boyfriend protecting you, okay?”

“You actually admitted you’re a werewolf without sulking about it,” Xavier noticed, and Gray smiled.

“I walked out into the woods a bit as a wolf and I gotta say, it’s kinda- I mean- it kinda feels nice. Freeing, or something like that. It’ll be good, being out here. This’ll be good,” Gray said, kissing Xavier’s neck. “Do you feel better?”

“You’re so cute. I feel fine, my heart’s still beating a bit fast,” Xavier chuckled, and Gray felt his chest.

“Oh man, I spooked you, huh? Want me to go get you some water, or something?” Gray asked, patting Xavier’s chest and letting his hand go limp again.

“I want you to stay right here for a bit longer, if you don’t mind,” Xavier whispered, and Gray frowned for a second.

“Okay,” he hummed, holding Xavier closer.

“I love you,” Xavier said, and Gray’s eyes widened in the dark.

--TO BE CONTINUED--

“I nearly forgot to call,” Jin mumbled into the phone, pacing back and forth in his apartment. “Listen, there’s someone out there, a doctor, who’s experimenting on cryptids and humans alike. His name is Ross, he’s white, has gray eyes, light brown and gray hair, talks in like, a droning kinda way. He’s blunt, and he’s very dangerous.”

“What makes a human that dangerous? Should I kick his ass?”

Jin let out a loud sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, don’t do that, you need to stay as far away from him as you possibly can. I don’t want you getting hurt, you’re my friend, and I know you’re strong and you could probably beat him up under normal circumstances but he has an angel feather that makes him really powerful.”

The troubling slicing noise on the other line stopped.

“Promise me you’ll stay away?” Jin pushed, biting his nails.

After a few moments of silence, there was a deep breath and a voice that said, “Fine. Stay safe.”

“You too.” Jin hung up.

The redhead uncrossed her fingers and went back to sharpening her katana.