Work Text
Photo by Ber'ZophusShahrak District, Ghowr Province, Afghanistan, 03:00 hours, far side of the hill, Lucas safely to the rear on the hilltop directing operations, thoughts rippling at the base of his skull, not his thoughts, Lucas'. A movement below. In an instant, Noah’s calm, steady focus became blinding pain and rage. The lower left side of his body screamed in agony.He knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't stop himself from shifting, his clothes ripping as he transformed into his giant Arctic White Wolf. Howling his defiance into the air, he flung himself through the bar door to be assaulted by the stench of stale beer and dead cigarettes; the pain in his side fought with the pain in his nostrils for dominance. What the FUCK?Gotta shift back to human, his mind screamed - his thoughts or Lucas' - as he slid into unconsciousness. " Why do you think we're here?" Oliver was cut short by a belligerent howl ripping through the air as a damned Ragnorak WOLF pounded into the room, collapsing a bare few few yards from their table; it's left flank bleeding profusely into the sodden carpet, shattered thigh bone poking through its silken blood-soaked white coat - it's head as close as damn to the size of their table. That and the wound closing to a faint pale line as he watched made him wonder if the beer in the place was spiked.Ralph blinked and the giant unconscious wolf became a giant unconscious man. No distortion, no grotesque-ry - one minute wolf, next minute a very, very fit, un-wounded, undressed military type; highly muscled, painfully white close cropped head of hair - Wagner's Siegfried - a Nazi??The unconscious man came to and shot up to attention. Ralph gripped the table - fight or flight, no weapon to hand?"Sergeant Noah Hammond, US Navy Marine!" Ralph nodded tersely, standing down. "Captain Ralph Lanyon, that's Ray-f to you Yanks, Royal Navy Voluntary Reserves." They exchanged salutes, leaving the civilian to make his own introductions.Oliver looked up and up the full frontal nude. For the first time since turning 17 he wasn't the tallest man in the room. "Oliver," offering his hand "Columbia Graduate Professor"."I say, Sweetheart, edifying as it may be, do you think you might sit up to the table so as to reduce the view a little?" Ralph didn't mean to embarrass the chap, "You have to understand that to a certain set, your current state of dishabille is a mite... distracting." Ralph looked across to Oliver."No disrespect intended" Oliver nodded, adding his support, " but it would be easier... Nice abs".Noah gave himself a quick mental sitrep - no one else in the bar, no clothes, no Lucas, including in his head - the bond was down. He sat on the proffered stool and complied with the request to pull it into the table. He reached for the remaining pint. "Mine?" he asked 'Ray-f.'"Be my guest" said Ralph and turned to Oliver, "You were saying?""Hold that thought." Oliver turned to Noah. "A Marine Werewolf, seriously?""A glass that doesn't empty of piss poor, warm beer?" Noah replied, eyeing the glass he'd just drunk dry as the foam rose back up. "That must be some serious narc they've put me under!"Ralph coughed. "Returning to Oliver's pertinent question - why do we think we are all gathered here, including White Fang?" Not such a good quip, reflected Ralph, as the Wolf in question scowled. "To recap - Oliver here is lovelorn at having to leave his Elio and I'm having a difficult time keeping Laurie out of the clutches of a far too fair and pure competitor. And you? Are you languishing in any way over an unrequited, homoerotic love?"Hammond lowered his glass, way too easy to keep chugging the warm stuff. "How long you got? Let's just say that when Alexander conquered Persia Hephaestion had nothing like the trouble with his Dominant as I'm having with mine!""You're saying Hephaestion was a werewolf? " interrupted Oliver."Yeah, a True Alpha and Alexander was his Dominant human. So there you are with me and my SO, Lucas."Ralph wasn't quite sure where he was other than the giant marine's 'SO', whatever one of them was, was called Lucas, also male, not of this parish."He's OK with PDA at the full moon but he just doesn't understand, no matter how many examples from our culture that I give him, that we're Mated and that's for life and it ain't just after military clashes and the full moon run ... I love him and he just doesn't get it." His head sagged and he gave a surprisingly good imitation of a deep sob. In as much as a hill of a man, buff and well maintained could be, he looked to be crushed and a true member of their select set of the blue-eyed, blonde, overly tall lovelorn."PDA?" asked Ralph."Personal Display of Affection" murmured Oliver, thinking how he'd said he would have kissed Elio if he could in the Piazza in Crema. That damned river didn't seem to be doing much changing." Forgive me for asking, but what does the 329 BCE Macedonian invasion of Persia have to do with you and your Friend?" Ralph glowered at his glass, hoping it would transform into a large rum. When it didn't he gulped the beer down and asked again "What's a war campaign got to do with your Lucas, the winning thereof? I'd like to know. I've a little campaign of my own going on between myself and Andrew for the fair Spud."The Marine looked up at the Brit and wondered if he were for real around the same time as Ralph was wondering if the Marine was still speaking English, given his lupine alter-ego. Both pleaded the fifth, whichever country they hailed from and addressed themselves to their respective brown beverages.Oliver looked up at the men and thought of Buffy St Marie's song, The Universal Soldier -'He's the one who gives his body as a weapon of war and without him all this killing can't go on.' Something came adrift in his head."I could quote something from Euripides or Homer or Socrates if you like gentlemen but it comes down to this - have you told your LOVERS, these men that you STILL HAVE PHYSICAL ACCESS TO, have you told them in words of as few syllables as possible, have you told them how you really feel? Have you said I LOVE YOU - I CAN'T FACE LIFE WITHOUT YOU?" Oliver realised he was shouting by the raw feeling in his throat and the remarkably similar look both men were giving him. It looked a lot like pity."Werewolf culture ..." began Noah, Oliver flung down an exasperated hand."I'm showing him physical love, repeatedly" Ralph smirked. Oliver glowered back at him too."I LOVE YOU. DON"T LEAVE ME. Just fucking well tell them straight!" He shouted and got up hastily."Where you going?" they called after him.Pushing out the door he shouted back "Gotta catch a return train ... a phonecall won't do ... " His voice snapped off as he left the bar."Guess we need to get going too? I gotta feeling that someone's back there trying to save my life - so I'm gonna go help them ... and it's down to me to give Lucas a direct sit-rep about us, what he means to me ..."Ralph nodded. Maybe he could write Laurie a letter about why it mattered so much to both of them that they stuck it out together? It always came out better when he wrote things down."Good meeting you White Fang" he said offering a conciliatory handshake."You too Ray-ay-ay-f" replied the Norse hero.They strode out the bar together. The stained glass door swung shut leaving the room to restock its fug and drink down the beer slops and wolf blood ready for the next travellers' arrival.
====