I'm waking up

@aster-reed-wcw

Aster Reed. Part time wolf, eternal scientist, and a fugitive from the people she once worked with. As she'd fallen like a shooting star or a satellite in flames from the top of the food chain to it's bottom, Aster could only appreciate the perfect biological reflection of the journey. As she'd slipped into the class of the hunted among the city's back-room game of cat and mouse, she knew she was changing, transforming into something much more durable than the humans who held all the city in a vice-like grip of organised power. "Children mustn't know that we're living in a city that's built on bones"

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vintagenatgeographic

Arctic Wolf National Geographic | May 1987

Brown eyes cooled and the gentleness left Max's face in an instant. He traced the scars on his neck where the Handlers of New York had burned a collar into his skin, picking in particular at the mesh of scabs where his tracker was--surgically removed. Sans professional surgery. "They're--difficult." Max's voice was strained; syllables clipped. His eyes were far away from Aster now. "But they're just doing their job. And I just do mine." He shrugged a shoulder. "They need to come around to us."

The change in the young man’s expression was a little startling- he no longer looked like a warm-hearted stranger, but a cold, distant entity. It was a little chilling, and more than a little heartbreaking. This was what the presence of the Handlers did: turned people who ought to have been young, and carefree and happy, into ruthless operatives. Aster was aware of the increasing rumours, and felt a twinge of worry for Max, getting caught up in conflict. “Please be careful. I hear they don’t take kindly to people messing with them.” The thought of anyone standing up to Roy Talbot and his organisation was… laughable. She supposed, though, that it was only a choice between accepting fate or fighting for survival.

aster's like holy shit i'm such a terrible human bei- wait.

#I was such a terrible human being is accurate because she is less terrible and also less human these days #wahahahahahah

Max watched Aster--caught the changing scent of rekindled, metallic fear and exhaled slowly, rubbing his hands together--then rubbing his arms, giving her a little more space as he scooted to one side on the bench. "Didn't mean to bring up bad memories," he apologized, still mellow in voice and meek in stature. "I was just curious. I've--been like this for as long as I can remember." The young radical smiled another, sadder smile. "You've probably guessed by now it doesn't get easier."

Feeling wretched, she huffed out a humourless laugh, breath misting in the cooling autumnal air. "I- It's alright," she murmured, expression still faraway. Blinking herself back to the present, she looked the younger 'wolf over and felt buffeted by more waves of sickening guilt. Poor kid had probably spent his entire life in hiding, and here she was falling apart after a year or so- and a year or so of what she deserved. "Yeah well," she muttered, raising her eyes to the heavens, "It probably doesn't make it any easier having a bunch of deranged maniacs trying to drag you off to oblivion every minute of the damn day."

Now he pushed the envelope by moving them all somewhere far, far away from bad memories and merciless danger.

Perhaps here, they’d find happiness. Perhaps there were truly blue skies over the rain; rainbows beyond the clouds.

#oh boy

ugh just let me stare at his face forever

#i dont think im overreacting

teganwolfe-wcw started following you

WELL HELLO THERE

#ohhhhhhhhhhmy go d /faints violently #literally the biggest crush on that guy #//ooc

There was a sadness in Max's smile. Packless, without family, broken and alone, he understood her. Aster's past sins were inadmissible. To Max, the slate was clean. His boyish face was tired, features gaunt and drawn, before he forced a better grin to surface, shaking his head. "The lone wolf dies, the pack survives." He wiggled his fingers at her. "Game of Thrones. Sorry--just. Trying to lighten things up a bit." He shrugged a shoulder, looking down. "How long have you been--like this?"

The pop-culture quote took Aster off guard and she was surprised into a laugh. It was so absurd, the concept of something as mundane as television in a place like this. "I need to catch up," she said dryly, as if her and Max's lives didn't have many commonalities with your average episode. The question tugged the smile from her face and she ran her hand through her hair, trying to remember. "It's.. it's been longer than I realised, actually. It was late spring last year, I-" she suddenly recovered her guard and gave Max a stricken look, realising it probably wouldn't be wise to admit to having been a handler, no matter her situation now. "I don't really like talking about it," she finished, feeling a leaden weight settle icily in her ribcage.

sara1una

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it will steal your innocence But it will not steal your substance But you are not alone in this

#aster music #RUDE AS HECK TBH #gooddddd slay me #it's such wcw music tbh #all these disparate desperate scared people and what have they got?#they got each other #even James and Walter got each other down in that dark horrible hole and that's better than nothing #everyone's got someone to help them through #they are not alone in this

"Me too," Max admitted with a slightly rueful smile, toying with the lengths of Aster's fingers as if trying to discern her fortune from the lines of her palms. "Well--more like you could say trust waxes and wanes." Brown eyes lifted again, filled with sparks of gold. "Like the moon." He loosened his grip on her hands, cradling them instead. "And I know it's not--any of my business. And I'm being super intrusive right now, but." Max sighed faintly. "You're--really not as alone as you think."

"Waxes and wanes," she repeated, almost silently as she watched him gently playing with her fingers. She heard him sigh in admission, and looked him over again, his head slightly bowed, and realised with a jolt just how young he was. She wondered suddenly after his safety, his health, his happiness- if she found it hard to deal with, how must someone who looked barely in his twenties, if even that, cope? "If it wasn't your business, I wouldn't still be here," she said, voice growing a little more certain, "I- I haven't spoken to another-" she bit her lip, and glanced around, "Another werewolf, since I got turned- we can't afford to let one another alone, I don't think..." She held her breath as she spoke, watching him for any signs of her having overstepped an unspoken line, tensed (though she didn't realise it) to run.

Biting back a whine of distress at the sight of Aster's discomfort, Max softly bumped his shoulder against hers again--and reached out to take the other 'wolf's hands once they were free, tangling her slender fingers in his scarred ones as unobtrusively as possible. "I do," Max replied earnestly. "I do--get it. More than some," he added under his breath, then wrapped his hands around hers and tenderly squeezed. "Can--can I be honest with you?" Max inquired hesitantly, seeking her gaze. "Please."

It was a little surprising, and caught her off guard, but the friendly contact almost undid the lonely 'wolf as she glanced at Max in surprise. Giving his calloused digits a slight squeeze in return, she dropped her shoulders in defeat and nodded. "I- I guess you could already tell but- I'm new to this and it- it's all- I'm not sure what I'm meant to do." Or who I'm meant to trust, she added, but kept that thought to herself. It was impossible, looking at melting brown eyes, to not trust someone with that much warmth and affection spilling from him. Even if she wasn't really deserving of it at all.

maxderekson-wcw replied to your quote:maxderekson-wcw replied to your... i have done nothing wrong u cannae blame this on meeeeeee

I CAN AND I DO

#it's probably a relationship that hovers between platonic and romantic tbh #but the situation with Fraser being a handler and James so disliking them makes it difficult #uuuuuuggggh why #the problem is that fraser is actually the opposite of an asshole which makes everything 5000% painful

maxderekson-wcw replied to your quote:maxderekson-wcw replied to your post:however, I... fjkdllhh ADORABLE. am I allowed to ship Jaser. Gonna do it.

heCK. NOT THE SELFCEST AGAIN RICO NOOO [dies in flames]

#James is actually ace (rn anyway) but him and Fraser have a strong (if somewhat fraught relationship)#... oh my heCK you made me imagine old men smooches wah how cute #rICO!!!! VERY BAD YOU HAVE DONE A VERY BAD THING HERE

"That's the best anyone could do," Max uttered softly, nudging Aster's shoulder with his own in the gentlest way possible. Folding his hands together after giving Aster's a firm squeeze, the young 'wolf twiddled his thumbs and pursed his lips faintly. "It's not--always easy, trying to manage things on your own," he began hesitantly. "And I don't want you to think I stopped by your bench here--" Max patted the item for emphasis, "to preach on a pulpit." His smile was soft. "Not my intention."

Smile becoming slightly less strained and a little more tearful, she nodded, sighing and sagging a little. It was nice, so nice she'd almost forgotten how nice it really was, to hear a friendly voice and feel the slightest, furtive beginnings of trust. Aster pressed her hands to her forehead and pushed her face into them, as if to keep herself together and in one piece. "I don't know why you stopped but I'm glad you did. I- I needed to hear someone else who- you know-" she pulled her head out of her palms and looked at him, wiggling her fingers noncomitally. "Gets it."

maxderekson-wcw replied to your post:however, I can only imagine (since he’s been... "shut up you’re not our real grandpa"

"I knoo I'm no', if I was ye'd be raised with more sense'n t' go pissin' off roY FECKIN TALBOT''

#meanwhile James is like ''it's nice to see you haven't changed.'' ''feCKIN IMBECILES!!!'' ''comforting even''

however, I can only imagine (since he's been around for probably fuckin ever) Fraser's seen Aster and Walter around

and he's gonna give them such a LOOK if and when they all end up in the same place like

kiDS THESE DAYS

#''oo this is just feckin grand. ye went and go' yeselves turned inte supernaturals.''#''there was one thing to do apart from workin' for the handlers ye coulde done that was more dangerous anD YEH FOOKIN MANAGED IT''

maxderekson-wcw replied to your quote:maxderekson-wcw replied to your... o Fraser. :’| somebody out there’ll like you enough to bitecha. probably.

Fraser: Nah, thanks, I'll pass -A- An' I don't think my bein' a vampire or something is gonna make anyone hate me any less anyway.

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