Chapter Text
She steps out of the bathroom, towel wrapped around her body, hair still dripping wet from her shower. She had woken up in Simon’s bed, with Gaz’s shirt in her hands, but the bed itself empty. And yet, she hadn’t been worried, because she could hear them together in the kitchen. It was a nice thing to wake up to.
It was even nicer to have the shower all to herself.
And, to add the cherry on top, she marches herself into Price’s bedroom, and goes rummaging through the drawers. One of his shirts fits her well enough, and it is so soft, she just can’t help but take it. None of his pants fit, of course, She doesn’t think any of them would, but as long as she had a shirt, and a good pair of his socks, she will be fine.
Moments later, she enters the kitchen wearing her prizes, the towel now wrapped around her hair. Conversation doesn’t so much stop as it lulls, inviting her to join it.
“Good morning, yall.” She yawns, sliding into the seat next to Soap. The man in question is covered in bite marks and hickeys, and looks rather proud of himself for it. Good for him.
“Sleep well, darling?” Price asks, and she can’t help but note that his voice is just a bit raw, and his skin is littered in scratches.
“Slept like a princess.” Gaz answers for her, proudly. And he isn’t even lying.
“I was well taken care of.” She fights to keep the laugh from her voice. And yet, they can hear it anyways.
Kyle slides her a still steaming mug of coffee, offering her the cream and sugar. Across the table, Simon slides his plate towards her, sharing his breakfast with her. It’s beans on toast, which isn’t really her cup of tea so to say, but she appreciates the gesture. That, and she is practically starving.
“There’s a park on the other side of town, if you wanted to go.” Simon offers, shielding his uncovered mouth with one hand as he eats. “Lots of space to run around. Good places to change.”
The smile that finds her face is an easy one. A natural one.
And just like that, it’s a date. Johnny volunteers to tag along, even though he looks terrible. She offers Price, but the poor man wants to catch up on all the sleep he had missed when he spent the night with Johnny. She suggests that Johnny does the same, given his appearance. Gaz declines the offer because he has to go grocery shopping for the group, which is fair.
Soap lends her a pair of shorts that had shrunk in the wash a few months ago, and they fit, thankfully. They meet at the door again, both of them ready to go.
Hesitantly, Ghost offers his hand to her, and she doesn’t think twice before she takes it.
It’s a nice morning, not too warm, not too cold. Just perfect, and she is finding that many things here are like that. Just perfect. She doesn’t even have to look at the man next to her to know that he is grinning from ear to ear.
“So…” Ghost trails off, looking down at his own feet. It’s early out, no one else is on the street yet. They have the whole town to themselves, for now. “You’re really staying?”
“Nope. I’m actually changing my name and moving to mexico.” She dead pans, watching Simon’s eyes go wide.
“You don’t mean that.” He accuses, poking at her shoulder. “You’re pulling my leg.”
“Yeah, no, i’m really going.” She tries to remain neutral, but her smile shines through anyways. Simon relaxes just a little. “I’m going to take the two whole dollars I have to my name and catch a plane all the way to the gulf. Cut my hair, get colored contacts. The whole shebang.”
“Very funny.” Ghost rolls his eyes, pulling his hand out of hers and stuffing it in his pockets.
“Nah, I’m sticking around.” She admits, done with the joke. This place is too nice to leave. Where else could she live like this? Where else could she get so damn lucky? “Can’t get rid of me that easily.”
“Wouldn’t want to.”
They fall into comfortable silence after that. The sun is just rising as they finally make it to the park, bathing the grass, still wet with morning dew, in beautiful golden light. It looks ethereal, beautiful, breathtaking even. The park is made up of mostly open space, dotted with the occasional sapling tree or covered bench. In the corner there is a small public bathroom, a nice one with doors that reach all the way to the floors, and counters around the sinks. A great place to change into her other form. She isn’t quite tempted to change now, but maybe she will visit again later.
Simon leads them down the path, away from the bathrooms and towards a small pond. The park is nice, beautiful even. And yet, for as pretty as it is, she can’t take her eyes off of Simon.
“Got a staring problem?”
“Less of a problem, more of an opportunity.”
Ghost scoffs, rolling his eyes. She never figured herself a romantic, but she thinks she could see herself becoming one.
“You’re lucky you have me, luv.” He sighs dramatically, shaking his head. “Someone has to keep an eye on the path.”
She doesn’t even notice herself stepping off into the grass before he is dragging her back onto the sidewalk. Her shoes are soaking wet from the dew in the grass, and she leaves little boot prints behind her on the sidewalk. She was too caught up in staring at him to even notice.
“Real lucky.” She nods, and he doesn’t even know the extent of it. She hopes he never does have to learn about all the bad things she went through. At the same time, she wants to know all the bad things that happened to him, so maybe she can make him feel a little bit better.
They make a lap around the park, and then they part ways with a short, chaste kiss. She savors the brief glimpse of skin she gets when he lifts his mask to put his lips against hers. And then, they part, and he returns to walking around the park, while she heads off back towards their side of town.
She doesn’t know exactly where she is going, but it is nice to just wander. It is nice to be able to walk, and not worry whether or not everyone else can tell she is different, to not think about when she will have to leave, because no one is going to force her to. She is safe here.
Somehow she finds herself in the town square, eyeing up the little market set up on the other end. She doesn’t plan on paying any attention to it until she spots a familiar, pretty face among the crowd.
Gaz is standing in front of a little table, looking over homegrown fruits. He’s got a few bags hanging off his arm, and his backpack looks a bit more full than when he had left the house.
She grins to herself, creeping up on the unsuspecting man. He doesn’t even jump when she puts an arm around his shoulders, like he’s used to such acts of affection. When he smiles, her day gets just that much brighter.
“Long time no see, luv. Just couldn’t live without me?” He teases, pressing a soft kiss against her forehead that makes her light up like a christmas tree.
“Saw you from across the square, I couldn’t leave without saying hi.”
Gaz pawns off some of his shopping onto her, and with that she is helping him. He’s got a list, but most everything is already crossed off. Now, he is just looking for fresh produce. So, they walk through the sea of stalls together, poking over fruits and vegetables and looking at herbs like thyme and basil.
It’s nice to just go shopping. She will take the food to her home, because she has one, and she buys non-perishable food because she isn’t going anywhere, she doesn’t need to pack for a long trip. It feels good to have a permanent home.
“Anyone ever tell you you’re lucky that you’re so pretty?” She teases, as Gaz hands her all of the shopping bags because he doesn’t want to carry them.
“A few times.” He smiles innocently, fluttering his lashes at her. So lucky, and so pretty.
So, she ends up carrying everything except for Gaz’s backpack as they return home, because she is a sucker for a man who knows how to flutter his lashes just right. And Gaz is very talented at being pretty.
Gaz is kind enough to get the door for her, since her hands are full of the things he is supposed to be carrying. They have to sneak through the house, because Price is laying on the couch with his hat over his face, snoring softly. He looks very handsome in the morning light.
The two of them quietly sort the groceries into the fridge and the pantry respectively. There are four different boxes of tea, which is honestly just impressive. And, thankfully, one box of coffee grounds for her. She thanks Gaz for that, eyeing the boxes of tea on the shelf.
“I think I should go check on Soap.” She whispers, pressing a kiss to Gaz’s cheek. “He seemed very pouty when I told him he looked like shit.”
“Johnny will live.” Gaz protests, fluttering his eyelashes again. She is a sucker for a pretty man, but she has another pretty man she needs to take care of.
“And so will you.” With that, she departs from him, leaving the poor man behind in the kitchen.
She finds Soap in Price’s bed, cuddled up against the blankets fast asleep. He’s pouting, which is absolutely adorable.
The bed dips behind him as she climbs onto the mattress, and he groans, awoken from his sleep. For half a second, he frowns, but then his eyes land on her, and he grins.
“G’morning lass.” He yawns, rolling over to face her. He looks so pretty when he’s tired.
“Good morning, Soap. Feel better?” She asks, cuddling up against him. Johnny lights up like a christmas tree, hugging her closer.
“A bit. Would be better with a kiss, though.” He does his best to bat his eyelashes at her, but he’s still too sleepy. He looks adorable.
She gives into his demands, smoothing a hand over his mussed up mohawk to press a kiss to the poor man’s forehead. Soap practically purrs, grinning up at her lazily. She is so lucky to have such beautiful men.
“Could use a jobbie if ye don’t mind.” Soap tests his luck, and he is so damn fortunate that she is feeling particularly lenient.
“Maybe another time.” She pats him affectionately. Anyone else she would have probably hit. But her Soap? He can make as many lewd jokes as he pleases. It’s his pretty privilege.
Johnny grumbles, but he doesn’t seem all that bothered by her refusal. Really, he just seems happy to have her close, and more than happy as she rubs his stomach comfortingly. Soon enough, the man is sleeping again.
Johnny is very cute when he sleeps. He purrs as she pets him, and nuzzles into her palm when she offers it. The usually disobedient, cheeky Johnny is as tame as a puppy when he is asleep.
She scratches the man’s stubble affectionately, watching him smile lazily. Such a beautiful man. He mumbles into the pillow, sighing contentedly as she pets him.
“Managed to tame the unruly brat?” Price mumbles, padding into the room quietly. He is still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, hat in his other hand.
“Until he wakes up.” She whispers, scooting over just a little to invite John to join them.
Price doesn’t hesitate to climb into bed with her, squishing her between the two of them comfortably. It feels so nice to be cramped between them, squeezed between her pack members, in their bed. It all feels so right.
Johnny barely even wakes up, even when Price wraps an arm around them both, squeezing them both affectionately. She is on the verge of falling asleep herself, cuddled between half of her pack, still satisfied from last night.
Price nuzzles against her cheek, his beard tickling her pleasantly.
“I love you.” She breathes, as she slips into sleep.
“We love you too.” Price assures her, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
Tomorrow, or maybe later today, she will wake up alongside the rest of her pack, and she will get to do all the domestic things she had been unable to do for so long. She will take care of the house, because she is happy to have it, and she will take care of her pack because she is happy to have them. Maybe she will even go out somewhere with them, perhaps even out into the wild to run around as wolves. Though, she will have to keep them away from Tim’s territory. She had dealt with him for the last time, hopefully.
For now, though, she sleeps safely in the arms of her pack, happy.