In Which Jack Is More Than Just A Wolf
AN: I blame @phuuca for this but I truly locked the fuck in with this fic
Summary: Just because Jack's unique magic is called "Unleash the Beast", doesn't mean she doesn't need to be just a wolf.
Ship: Jack Howl x Calder Hansen
Word Count: 2,429
Also on AO3
Calder didn’t think much about the idea that Jack’s beast form could evolve from just the simple giant wolf that she could become. Of course, shape-shifting related magic wasn’t one of Calder’s strong suits. He was more of a conjuration person, but that was besides the point. Sure, Calder has imagined what other creatures Jack could have had the chance to shift into if he didn’t become a wolf. But it wasn’t a thought that would plague him constantly at every waking hour and keep him up at night. It wasn’t because Calder didn’t care, it was just the fact that it never actually bothered Calder’s way of life. If it didn’t effect him, what was the real issue?
He had seen Jack’s beast form once- specifically during their third date. He had brought the mer out to the infamous woods the stood behind the school that night and into a clearing. Before Calder could even ask what Jack was doing when the Savanaclaw student had pulled away to step into the clearing, the mer watched as the first year chant the words of their unique magic before becoming a giant wolf right in front of Calder’s eyes, making Calder stumble back slightly. Now, Calder wasn’t scared that his partner had just shifted into a giant wolf seemingly at a whim in front of him, he was just put off by the fact that Jack was fucking huge.
Now, as a third year, Calder always smiled at that memory. Specifically the part where Jack let Calder run his hands through her fur and let the mer lay against her wolf body as the two looked at the stars for awhile. Calder noted that Jack’s fur was really soft- like his hair. Maybe Jack’s hair care routine carried over into their wolf form. That was such a funny concept, really.
Calder was currently walking through the hallways of Night Raven College after his last class for the day. It was weird to think that he was a third year now- which all that had happened within the last year. There was him arriving at the school at the start of his second year after all his…excitement he went through over at RSA. And then there were all the overblots (Calder’s included), the STYX incident, and then the whole thing with Malleus. Wow, a lot has happened over the last year. (And yet, no therapy from the school. Get it together, headmage).
The mer was minding his own business as he walked through the hallway before someone had came up behind him and picked him up a little, making Calder let out a slight yell as the person behind him started laughing at the noise.
“That’s a new noise from you,” said Jack as she flashed her usual grin at Calder.
“Wha- shut up-!” Calder exclaimed, playfully hitting Jack in the shoulder. The beastman laughed as he playfully dodged Calder’s hits against him before gently grabbing the mer’s hand, which he easily enveloped in his own.
And almost immediately, Calder felt his cheeks get flushed at the simple physical contact. That always happened when Jack showed even the smallest acts of physical contact, even if it was just Jack brushing their hand against Calder’s, the mer would get all red and well, basically malfunction for a couple of minutes.
“Anyways, you came to bother me for something. So what can I do for you?” Calder asked with a slight smirk as he look up at the second year. For being Calder’s underclassman, Jack was insanely tall. What did her parents feed her growing up?
“What? I can’t just come up and see you because you’re my boyfriend?” Jack asked back, tilting his head a little to the left.
“That’s not- oh, you truly know how to push my buttons the right way. It’s like you want to get a rise out of me,”
“Maybe, maybe not,”
Calder rolled his eyes before letting out a small laugh, starting to walk down the hallway once more, dragging Jack along with him this time- hand in hand.
It was fairly common knowledge amongst most people at NRC that Jack and Calder were dating. Well, it was fairly common that the two had feelings for each other and instead of actually doing anything about it, the two just crushed hard for one another. It wasn’t until after the mess that was Malleus’ overblot did the two finally get together and well, the rest was history.
“Actually, there was something I wanted to ask of you, if you don’t mind,” chimed Jack, breaking the comfortable silence forming around the couple.
“There it is,” replied Calder, the joking tone laced in with his voice.
It was Jack’s turn to roll their eyes before letting out a small laugh, pulling Calder off to the side of the hallway so they weren’t in anyone’s way before stopping. Calder was more than happy to follow behind her.
“You’re not doing anything tonight, are you?” Jack asked as he leaned against the wall a bit.
Calder pursed his lips a little, taking a few moments to think and ponder the question before speaking, “I am not. Luckily, I don’t have a shift to work at the lounge. I’m still on the bench ever since my little rough throat from last week, so I haven’t been performing much.”
The wolf nodded along with Calder’s words, taking in what he was saying. This was perfect for Jack, things were falling into place for him.
“Great, how about a small date night tonight? I was thinking we go to the same clearing in the woods- there’s something I gotta show you,” Jack explained, their tail wagging slightly behind them.
Calder hummed and smiled at her words, letting out a small laugh at Jack’s wagging tail. Whatever had Jack this excited made Calder excited.
“Sounds like a plan, love. Do I need to dress up at all?”
“You know I like it when you’re natural, Cal,”
Another hum rang from Calder’s lips as he nodded. “I know, doesn’t hurt to ask, though. This actually works out because I need to take a wig break. Let my natural hair breath.”
“I always do like seeing your blonde hair, has a nice charm to it. The purple wig is iconic, though,”
“For my sake and yours, never say iconic again. I don't even know who taught you that,”
Jack laughed at Calder’s words before pulling Calder’s hand up to press a kiss against his knuckles. Again, Calder’s cheeks went red at the simple action. Oh, that wolf knew how to warm the mer’s heart. “Have I ever mentioned how cheesy you can be?”
“You’ve mentioned it a few times, along with everyone else in my friend group,”
It was Calder’s turn to laugh, using his free hand to cover his mouth a little. “Well, I should get going then. Where should we meet tonight?”
“West wing doors, just like last time,”
Calder nodded and smiled at Jack’s words. “West wing doors, noted. 8pm like last time?”
“8pm like last time,”
The two said their goodbyes one last time before departing ways for the time being. Although, Calder couldn’t help but wonder what Jack was going to show him. He knew that Jack has been working on his magic now that he was the housewarden of Sanvanaclaw now that Leona was away at his internship. But, only time will tell, and Calder was excited to see what his partner was planning to show him.
Calder went throughout the rest of the day just as he would usually, working on some of his homework while moisturizing his hair. Wig glue wasn’t for the weak. He had taken a moment to talk with the tweels, in which he was teased for his date night with Jack. How those two slimy eels found out? Beats Calder- those two knew how to get information in the strangest of ways. Calder chose to not dwell on it too much. It was better that way.
It was 7:42pm when Calder had finished getting dressed, wearing just simple yet casual outfit that was appropriate for the woods. 7:52pm and Calder was walking out of his room while putting his hair up into a normal ponytail, letting it rest over his shoulder while he walked through the Octavinelle hallway and to the mirror, letting himself get teleported to the school building. The clock chimed at 8pm right when Calder got to the West wing doors, and Jack was already there.
“Excited, are we?” Calder teased as he walked over to Jack, a small grin on his face.
“For you? Always,” replied Jack, leaning down to share a kiss with the mer, “You ready?”
Calder nodded, letting Jack take his hand in their own and lead him out the doors, immediately making their way down the path to the woods. The walk was nice- it wasn’t too hot or too cold outside and the air was crisp enough to make breathing comfortable. The moonlight shined down on the two of them in just the perfect way; Calder couldn’t help but admire how Jack’s hair almost glowed under the moon.
“So, any hints as to what you’re showing me?” questioned Calder while pulling himself closer to Jack.
“It’s magic related, that’s all I can share,” Jack answered with a hum, flashing Calder a smile just wide enough for her fangs to poke out. Oh, that smile could melt the hearts of anyone. Calder was lucky to have it for himself.
It didn’t take long for them to get to the same clearing that Jack had brought Calder to about a year ago. This was different this time, Calder could feel it in his bones, as strange as it sounds. The Octavinelle student watched as the Savanaclaw housewarden pulled himself away from Calder before stepping into the clearing, making the mer raise an eyebrow in slight confusion.
“What are you planning? Are you going to reenact how you showed me your unique magic for the first time?” Calder asked with a small laugh.
“…Something like that, actually,” Jack replied, almost hesitating with their words as they looked at Calder, making the mer tilt his head to the right, “Just, please don’t get scared. That’s all I ask, please.”
Something in Jack’s words made Calder’s heart pang slightly and the third year nodded. “Of course, hun. Nothing about you could make me scared.”
Jack smiled at Calder’s words and her tail wagged once more as she spoke, “Okay, so there’s been some…changes to my beast form. Be prepared.”
Like a year ago, Calder had opened his mouth to ask exactly what Jack had mentioned right as the wolf started to chant the words of his unique magic. But this time was different.
Calder stood in shock, with a mix of surprise and awe, as he watched Jack shift into something that wasn’t the simple giant wolf like he remembered from last time. No, this time, Jack had shifted into a dragon-like creature covered in fur that has matched Jack’s hair and their fur as a wolf. The mer watched as horns sprouted out of Jack’s head right next to her ears. And the wings- that’s was what surprised Calder the most, the fur covered wings wasn’t something that he expected. Calder stayed quiet as Jack got settled down, shifting in the clearing slightly before looking at Calder.
“Um, surprise..?” said Jack, his words sounding more like a question as he tilted his head down to Calder’s level.
“…And I thought you were huge when you were the wolf. Holy fuck- when did this happen? When did you discover you could do this-?” Calder rattled out question after question as he walked closer to Jack.
Jack let out a gruff laugh before starting to explain everything. Apparently, Jack was hanging out with their friends and messing with their unique magics just the other day. Jack had used theirs and instead of shifting into a wolf like they were used to, they had shifted into this wolf dragon creature. Of course, everyone’s reaction was pretty much similar to Calder. At least everyone was being positive about it.
“Does this mean you can like, fly now?”
“Maybe. But we aren’t testing that tonight,”
“Damn it. You’re no fun,”
Jack laughed once more as she situated herself once more, laying down to be right at Calder’s level. Almost immediately, Calder went up to him and ran his hand through Jack’s fur on his head. It was still soft much like last time. Perhaps Calder’s theory that Jack’s hair care routine carrying over between forms was correct. But, this entire thing made Calder feel warm inside- his partner trusted the mer just enough to show him this new form. Jack didn’t throw their trust around lightly, so to have their trust made Calder fall in love with Jack even more.
“Thank you for showing me this, Jackie. I like knowing that you trust me enough to tell me about this,” Calder said with a low hum, resting his head against Jack’s head.
Jack let out her own gruffed hum, pressing her head up against Calder’s body, making the mer laugh a little. “Of course I’d show you, Cal. You are my boyfriend, after all. I’m going to trust you anyways.”
Calder smiled and pressed a kiss on Jack’s head, making the other huff happily.
The two stayed out in the clearing for a while longer. Jack showed off his form in any way he could. Calder was most curious about their wings- with how huge they were when Jack stretched them out. The wings almost took up the entire clearing when Jack had them opened-! And her horns- oh, they were so pretty. They shined so nicely under the moon, it almost made them look like obsidian.
By the time the moon had reached it’s highest peak in the sky, Jack had shifted back from his beast form and the two were walking back to the school building. Of course, they were hand and hand like always, with Jack’s hand enveloping Calder’s hand.
“This was nice, I enjoyed this,” Calder said, resting his head against Jack’s shoulder as the two walked.
“Me too. We need to come out here more often. Maybe even when the sun is out,” Jack suggested, “A nice little lunch date, maybe. Completed with a picnic basket.”
Calder let out a hum at the idea, giving Jack’s hand a slight squeeze. “I’d like that.”
“Then its a date.”