Chapter Text
April showers were the worst, Keith decided as he curled his tail closer around his legs. All he’d wanted was to spend the evening on the patio, watching the sun set, but instead clouds had rolled in and darkened the sky. He wasn’t a fan of the cold and wet at the best of times, and to make matters worse the full moon was only a few days away.
His ears twitched down in irritation. It felt like there was something crawling under his skin, prickling his hair into standing upright, his instincts on the verge of running wild and howling at the sky. But no matter how strong his wolf side was, his sensible human side was stronger. There was no way he was leaving the house while there was thunder and lightning outside.
Even as that thought crossed his mind, there was another low rumble of thunder in the distance. Keith glanced up as the lights flickered with a momentary power surge. Was it too much to ask to read a book and then go to bed? He growled lowly in the back of his throat and turned his eyes back to the page he was on.
The evening progressed peacefully enough -- the quiet marred only by the relentless rain pelting the window -- until there was another noise from outside. It was a scratching sound that came and went at intervals. Maybe the wind rubbing a branch against the house? By the third time it happened, Keith’s ears laid flat to his skull and he didn’t try to stop his annoyed growl.
“It’s almost bedtime. I’ve got an early day tomorrow,” he muttered, heading to the back door where the sound seemed to be coming from. “I just want to enjoy my little bit of free time.”
The scratching came again as he was reaching for the door knob, and this time it was clear that there was something at the door wanting in. Steeling himself for... well, he didn’t know what to expect, Keith opened the door and peered into the darkness. At waist-height, a pair of luminous brown eyes met his own curious gaze. The pupils showed greenish with reflected light as the stranger blinked and leaned forward with a questioning whine.
“Um, hello?” Keith said cautiously. “Can I help you?”
The lightning flashed, illuminating the shape of a huge wolf currently crouched on the back doorstep. Keith edged back inside, closing the door a few inches. While he himself had a pretty tall wolf form, it matched his human body: lithe and slim, made for agility instead of strength. He wouldn’t be able to put up much resistance if the newcomer decided to knock down the door.
But... despite his size, the gray-black wolf looked otherwise nonthreatening. His tail thumped lightly on the step as he regarded Keith with apologetic eyes.
Keith considered giving in -- the wolf looked miserable after all, soggy fur drooping into his eyes, tail tucked between his legs -- but the smell of wet dog was enough to make him hesitate. It was the main reason why Keith himself never played in the rain in his wolf form; the smell was impossible to get out of the carpet. He wasn’t about to let some stranger track all over his clean house without good reason.
“I asked if you want something?” Keith narrowed his eyes, prepared to be as obstinate as needed, until a thought occurred to him. “Is this your first time turning? Gotta be rough. You can talk in wolf form, you know.”
The stranger ducked his head and while shifter body language could be hard to interpret, it was clear he was embarrassed.
But Keith set his jaw and kept his expression firm; he wasn’t going to be the first one to give in.
“I’m really sorry for bothering you,” the dark wolf said at last, once it was clear that the door wasn’t opening any more. He formed the words carefully, only a hint of lisp because of long canines -- so this wasn’t his first transformation after all. “I was just enjoying the storm but then I... got lost. I’m new around here and I have no idea how to get home.” He hung his head even lower.
Oh, well that was simple enough. “Do you know your address? I can call you a cab --”
“No money. No wallet.”
One eyebrow rising, Keith regarded the wolf with growing amusement. “You shifted without your clothes?”
A very, very sheepish nod. Well that would explain why he was refusing to resume human form. And it raised the question again -- how much of a rookie was this guy? One of the first tricks a shifter learned was how to make his clothes survive the transformation.
But all that was neither here nor there, as the wolf was still watching him with hopeful eyes. “Actually, I was wondering if you’d give me shelter for the night? I could sleep in the garage; I promise I won’t cause any trouble.”
Keith bit his lip, more ready to offer spare clothes than his spare room. But the wolf glanced up at the furred ears atop Keith’s head, and it wasn’t hard to guess what he was thinking. Wolves would help other wolves, right? Regardless, Keith’s empathy and pack instinct were stronger than his preference for being alone, and he stood aside from the doorway.
“I’m not gonna make you sleep out in the garage. I’ve got a spare bedroom you can use instead. Come on in.”
“Thanks a ton!” At least the wolf shook himself off outside, and once inside he stopped and wiped all four paws on the mat. Keith narrowed his eyes at the bits of dirt and leaves that still stuck to dark fur, and he fought down the urge to get a towel and dry the wolf off completely before he tracked all over the light-colored carpet.
Still, it was the thought that counted, he supposed. It was nothing that a bit of soap and a good vacuum couldn’t clean up; he’d learned that from his own transformation experiences.
“By the way,” Keith said, as the wolf took a moment to look around the living room and get his bearings, “I’m Keith. I work at the main library. Or I mean, it’s the only library.”
“I’m, uh...” The wolf hesitated, clearly thinking about his current embarrassing situation, and ended the sentence with an unintelligible mumble.
“You said you’re new here, so I can’t really blame you for getting lost so easily,” Keith said. It was making him anxious to see the other wolf’s ears and tail so low.
“It’s a very small town. I was just being dumb, running off to play in the storm.”
Keith raised a curious eyebrow. Not a lot of shifters liked storms; their animal instincts usually drove them to den up somewhere warm and dry. “Hm?” was all he said, in hopes of sparking an explanation.
“I like the wind.” The wolf’s fur rippled across his shoulders in a shrug. “The rain, not so much. But by the time it started pouring, I was out in the middle of the woods. I saw your porch light and figured I’d rather ask for help than catch a cold.”
“Well, I’m glad I could help.” Keith almost turned away to show the way to the guest bedroom, when he stopped and pinned the wolf with a steady eye. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name?”
The stranger hemmed and hawed some more, low muttering that wasn’t meant to be words.
“Fine, have it your way.” If the wolf had been acting any more dominant, Keith would have sent him away, but he felt fairly safe allowing this shy stranger into his house. Although that didn’t mean he couldn’t have a bit of fun at his expense. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Wolf.”
That got him a guttural sound of laughter. “No, Mr. Wolf is my father.”
“Then what should I call you?”
“Lu...pus?”
“Alrighty then, Lupus Wolf. The guest room’s right this way.”
----
It wasn’t so much of a joke, once Keith made sure his guest was comfortable and he retreated to his own bedroom. Lupus, huh. That was the fakest name in the history of fake names, but he had nothing else to call the stranger. It held absolutely no clue as to his identity, and even the detail that he was new to town wasn’t enough to go on. Several businesses had opened up recently nearby and any one of them could have attracted people to the area.
So who was this guy?
Shifters were fairly common out in more rural towns like this one; they were drawn by the clean air and open sky. They weren’t hard to spot in a crowd, either. If the animal ears atop their heads, or the usually noticeable tails swishing around weren’t a giveaway, their scent was. There wasn’t much that could mask the definitive traces of wolf or panther or bear.
But Keith didn’t recognize Lupus’ scent, so they’d clearly not met before. Keith wondered what his human form looked like. Would he recognize him if they met again? Black-furred wolves were rare, but dark-haired people were everywhere. So unless Keith got close enough to pick up on his scent again, the chances of him ever finding out the name of his mystery guest were disappointingly slim.
It was frustrating, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. Maybe by morning Lupus would be more talkative. He did owe it to Keith, after interrupting his evening. The last Keith had seen, before pulling the guest bedroom door shut, was the wolf curled up and shedding all over the bed. Which -- fine, whatever. There was a reason Keith had an industrial strength washing machine.
Keith’s musings were cut short by a yawn. A glance at the clock showed almost midnight, and he was scheduled for opening shift tomorrow. Time to get to sleep; he could run his mind in circles in the morning.
The storm still raged outside, occasional lightning making the fur on his tail stand on end as he hunkered down into the blankets. Normally things like that wouldn’t bother him, but the upcoming full moon made his wolf side more wolfy. Less rational thought, more instincts that his human brain had a hard time justifying.
Like the urge right now to go curl up with Lupus and keep each other warm until the rain passed.
That was dumb. Legendarily dumb. Bad dog he thought to himself, and his tail involuntarily sank between his legs.
Yeah, definitely time to go to sleep before he did something he’d regret in the morning. Pulling the covers back, he burrowed under the blankets, feeling the soft material give under his claws. If it was a little colder he’d sleep in wolf form, curled into a tight ball of insulating fur, but that wasn’t necessary tonight. Instead he stayed human, tucked his legs and tail up to his chest, and fell asleep with the scent of the nameless stranger tickling his nose.
----
By morning, the storm was completely gone but so was the storm-dark wolf.
Maybe if Keith hadn’t been dreaming so hard -- about something good? the details eluded him -- he would have woken in time. But instead he woke only moments before his alarm, the saccharine haze of the dream draped over his mind, and the tantalizing scent of coffee filling his nose.
He grumbled to himself about getting up, but his body was more awake than his mind, already reaching for his work clothes out of habit, tail gently wagging. When was the last time he’d woken up early enough to enjoy coffee before heading out? Also the scent meant that Lupus must be up. It was another point in his favor, that he was thoughtful enough to make coffee.
But when Keith stumbled into the kitchen, his shirt mostly-buttoned and his hair only somewhat bed-head, the room was empty. The coffee maker was full and there was a mug resting on the counter nearby, along with a propped up piece of paper.
Keith poured himself a cup and leaned one hip against the counter as he unfolded the note.
Thanks for letting me stay the night! I really owe you one. The landscape looks different in the daylight and I think I can find my way home now. -- Lupus
Keith peered closer at the signature. Lupus had started to write something else but had scribbled it out thoroughly before writing his false name instead. So much for solving the mystery.
Frowning, he sipped at the coffee. If Lupus had stuck around, Keith was feeling more generous now that he’d gotten eight hours’ sleep, and he’d been ready to offer a change of clothes. But now... the wolf was on his own. Keith hoped he really did remember the way home and wasn’t wandering lost in the woods right now.
Meanwhile, duty called. Keith finished his coffee, which chased the lingering sleep from his brain and made him feel less like a zombie, and straightened up his appearance before heading to the garage. It was only a short drive to the library, and that plus the fact that he’d gotten up on time made him the first one there.
But his time alone was brief, the silence of the place broken by Hunk and Pidge’s chatter as they arrived together. Keith was at the front desk, booting up the computers, when he heard the door into the back room open and their footsteps scuffing on the carpet.
“Hey, guys,” he called, alerting them to his presence.
“Hey,” Pidge shouted back, her cheerful tone immediately fading into disappointment. “The coffee machine’s still broken?” Quiet irritable murmurs followed.
Keith continued straightening up the front desk, although not much needed to be done since he kept everything diligently in order. At last Pidge emerged from the back room, circles under her eyes as she adjusted her glasses.
“Morning,” Keith said.
“Morning. Hunk’s fixing the coffee maker. Till then don’t blame me if I bite your head off.”
“I’ll be sure to keep my guard up.” Keith grinned at her, showing a quick glimpse of sharp teeth.
Pidge slumped into her office chair and spun to face the computer. “You’re awfully chipper today.”
Chewing the inside of his lip, Keith stayed silent as Pidge logged in and started checking her email. Should he bring up what was on his mind? He supposed it couldn’t hurt... much.
“Hey Pidge, do you know any new people in town?”
She morosely clicked and deleted a handful of spam emails. “Depends.”
“On what?”
“What do you mean by new and what do you mean by person. I mean, I can check the local headlines if you think it’s someone notable... or was this question purely theoretical?”
“Never mind, you don’t need to bother. I think I’d rather figure this out on my own anyway. Thanks though.”
“Figure out what?” Now that her curiosity had been piqued, there was very little that would stop Pidge from following the story. There was a reason for her nickname ‘The Bloodhound’ -- more ironic, considering that she was the only full human employed in the library. But she fit in well with everyone. “Clearly something big happened last night if it got you in a sociable mood and here on time.”
“I’m not always late,” Keith grumbled. “You make me sound like Hunk.”
“Hey!” a deep voice shouted from the back room. “It’s only just now turning warm. I’ve got the traces of hibernation to sleep off!”
“As if you haven’t been sleeping for five months straight already!” Pidge rolled her eyes and Keith smiled at her fake exasperation. They’d both missed having Hunk’s company over the winter, while the were-bear was denned up in his basement; it was nice to have him back on the team.
“Anyway,” Pidge continued, leaning back in her chair and finally spinning to face Keith. “You’re trying to divert me from the question. What happened? Why are you so interested in meeting new people all of a sudden? Lone wolf is more your MO.”
“Gee thanks. Nice to know I don’t have a reputation to uphold.”
“You do, it’s just not the one you were aiming for. Although what are you aiming for with your fake irritability? We know you don’t bite but you end up scaring all the patrons.”
Keith crossed his arms, making full use of his height over her. “There’s only one rule in libraries. It’s not my fault people can’t follow it.”
“So you chase out anyone who makes noise? I guess that’s one way of keeping troublemakers away.”
“Anyway, I met someone.” He said it quickly and turned away, heading toward a cart of books that needed reshelving. Behind him, Pidge sputtered and he could hear the chair creak as she lunged upright.
“Wait wait wait. You met someone or you met someone? Clarify please!”
Keith picked up an armload of picture books and walked to the children’s section.
“Keith!” There were scrambling sounds followed by the thud of feet as Pidge launched herself over the counter and hurried after him. “Hang on, this is important! I know you can hear me so wait up!”
Setting the books down, Keith began methodically filing them away. There was very little reason to be this careful, since soon after the library opened and the first kids arrived, this area would be a battlefield of scattered books, but it gave him a reason to avoid eye contact.
“I don’t know. He showed up on my doorstep last night --”
“Whoa, hold up.” Pidge raised both hands in a slow-down gesture. “Do I need to get Hunk for this? Are you only telling me because you know no one’ll believe me?”
Keith allowed himself a grin and let his ears relax from straining upright. “It’s really not that big of a deal. Some guy -- a werewolf -- showed up, I gave him a room for the night, and he left before I could get his name. That’s all there is to it. I was wondering if there was some way to track him down, but I never even got to see his human face, so that’s a faint hope at best.”
Pidge looked thoughtful but eventually shook her head. “Yeah, good luck with that. This town’s small but it’s not that small. If you ever find him though, lemme know.” She gave him a devious smirk. “I’d love to one-up Lance on juicy stories.”
“Great,” Keith said, drawing out the syllable. “So you’re hoping to use me.”
Pidge opened her mouth to retort, but whatever she was saying went unheard as Keith’s senses locked on elsewhere. Their first patron of the day had entered the library and it was someone Keith didn’t recognize at a glance. That was odd in itself, since usually only a handful of regulars came in this early. On top of that, there was the dark tail and large perked ears that denoted a werewolf.
Keith’s heart skipped a beat or two, eyes unable to look away.
“Earth to Keith!” Pidge said too loudly as she poked him in the ribs. Keith put a hand up in defense but only half of his focus was on her. She narrowed her eyes and jabbed him again. “Your tail’s going crazy,” she said, thankfully quieter this time. “See something you like?”
He bared his teeth but there was no real anger in the gesture. In fact, it was becoming harder and harder to take his eyes from the man who was currently loitering by the counter and looking somewhat lost. The newcomer’s gaze swept idly around the library and Keith ducked behind the low bookshelf before he could be spotted.
“Hey look, it’s a person. Your favorite.” Pidge stood up and straightened her glasses. “Fine, I’ll go deal with the socializing part. You sure you’re not a were-bookworm after all?”
Keith was saved from coming up with a snide reply as Pidge strode across the library, welcoming the man and asking if he needed anything. Keith stayed hidden, nose twitching as he tapped a book restlessly against the shelf without actually paying attention to where it belonged. If he shifted to his wolf form, his nose would be a thousand times more sensitive and he could be more sure... but if he shifted, there was a good chance someone would notice. It wasn’t exactly polite to change forms in public. But that smell, he knew it, it was ingrained in his memory as strongly as the scent of coffee had been that morning. Which was weird, considering he’d only smelled it once before, very recently.
Lupus. Or whatever his real name was.
For some reason Keith’s face was burning and he pressed a hand to warm cheeks. Why was this suddenly a big deal? His tail skimmed the floor behind him, fast enough to kick up a small breeze, and it took all his willpower to make it stop. Anyone looking at him now could see that he was flustered and he didn’t even know the reason for it.
How did the black wolf know where to find him? Obviously he’d found his way home safely, if the pressed suit and expensive cologne were any indication. But still, how? Then Keith remembered mentioning the library in passing, and another flush of heat graced his skin. The wolf had remembered that too? And tracked him down?
Either this was a serious stalker situation or... something else. Keith didn’t want to put a name to it just yet.
But as all this was swirling inside his head, jumbling around and around until his senses were a mess, blurring the wolf from last night with the handsome man at the counter -- voices were approaching his hiding place.
“He’s around here somewhere,” Pidge said, dangerously close. Keith picked up a picture book and crammed it into the wrong shelf. Be busy, look busy, and maybe they won’t bother you.
“I don’t want you to make a hassle over me,” a smooth baritone replied. “I can come back some other time when you’re less shorthanded.”
“Nah, it’s fine. Besides, Keith knows the reference shelves like the back of his hand. He’s much better at it than me.”
Nope, no, that was a lie. Pidge was the one who could scan through the databases and find anything in under thirty seconds. Keith was good at shelving books and keeping the place clean; he avoided working with customers whenever possible. That was their arrangement. Hunk was the face, Pidge the brains, Keith the shadow working in the background.
So why was Pidge betraying him and leading the stranger right to where he was still crouched behind the children’s bookcase?!
“There you are,” Pidge said, like she hadn’t known exactly where he was hiding. “Can you help this gentleman find some reference materials?”
Well, no way out of this without looking like a complete jerk. “Yeah. Of course. What are you looking for?”
“Um.” The stranger waved a hand vaguely. “Statistical analysis? Of this town. Weather reports and population growth and that kind of stuff.”
“Have you tried looking online?” That would shunt him back to Pidge’s domain, which would give Keith a chance to figure out what the hell he was feeling right now.
“I... prefer to work with print sources.”
Great. “Ok then, right this way.” Keith was halfway tempted to not even try, to let his inexperience show and hopefully get someone else over here, but his competitive streak rushed to the front instead. No way he was going to embarrass himself in front of this guy. What if it wasn’t Lupus after all, and Keith was rude to an ordinary customer? Better to play along. Even if his requests were a bit odd and seemed utterly spontaneous.
Keith led the way to the reference shelves along the far back wall. This area of the library always felt secluded at best, but now, this early in the morning that there were no other patrons and Pidge and Hunk were at the front desk, it was downright isolated.
“Thanks for helping me,” the man said as they stopped in front of the floor-to-ceiling bookcases. “By the way, I’m Shiro.”
“Keith,” he said, holding out a hand without really thinking about it. Shiro clasped it warmly and Keith hesitated for only a moment before pulling away, shoving his hands deep in his pockets, and staring stony-faced at the rows of books.
This close, the scent was overpowering. This close, there was no room for doubt. Shiro was the wolf from last night; it was also certain that he recognized Keith, too. But that realization spawned more questions than it answered, and Keith was determined to be professional until the end.
“Are you looking for data on any particular year?”
Shiro shrugged. “I’m hoping I’ll recognize what I need when I see it.”
“Right.” Keith pulled out a couple of almanacs and set them on the nearby table. “Well, there’s plenty of stuff here for you to look at.” Turning around, he went back for more books. He resolved to be as completely, studiously helpful as possible, playing the part of the perfect librarian, until Shiro cracked and explained himself. And if that didn’t happen? Well, they were going to end up learning an awful lot about the region’s weather trends for the last couple of centuries.