When the Wolf Howls - Chapter Seven
“No Matter How Hard the Past, You Can Always Begin Again.”
𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 -> James "Bucky" Barnes/Original Nonbinary Character(s). Secondary Pairings; James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton/Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov
𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 -> The gang are presented with a choice - what to do with a giant, mythical wolf?
𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓 -> 3034
𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 -> (M) Mentions of past abuse, historical major character death.
𝐀/𝐍 -> Check it out below, or on AO3 here! The masterlist can be found here.
<- Chapter Six
Dividers by us! <3
Prompts; - ‘Adopting a Pet’ – @buckybarnesbingo 2024 (B005); - ‘Heading Home’ – @fandombingo (The Martian); - ‘Neglect’, ‘Collar’ – @fandom-free-bingo (Flight); - ‘Strong as They Need to Be’ – @multifandom-flash (Round 2 – 2029); - ‘Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing’ – Multifandom-Flash (Round 2 – 1025)
The silence that followed was all-encompassing.
There was a faint ringing, though whether from the din of lightning on rock still vibrating in my ears or distant echoes of the earth-shattering sound, I wasn’t sure. I still had my head ducked, half-curled around Mars, even as they recovered and fought to free themselves from super-soldier arms encircling them protectively.
“... Off, I’m fine, let me go!”
Their voice faded in slowly, and I dropped my arms instinctively – I would never ignore their consent; that particular curse had encompassed enough of my life, after all. Immediately they were having away from me, dropping to their knees before the great beast, hands extended with concern.
“Fenris? Fen, come on, you’ve gotta be okay...”
The wolf lay on his side, the chains that had held him pooled loosely about his form. As Mars’ voice cracked, one enormous yellow eye opened, considering the small mortal before it. “Peace, Small One,” he rumbled quietly, the colossal jaws barely parting. “It Has Been A Long Time Since I Have Stood Under My Own Power. The Release Simply Sent Me Sprawling. A Moment, And I Will Be Upright Once More.”
They nodded, dropping to their butt beside the enormous head, trailing fingertips over an ear bigger than their hand and murmuring too quietly for even me to hear.
Thor and Greg were congratulating one another in a clasping of hands and pats on the back, while Win looked on fondly, his gaze flicking from one partner to the other as if unable to determine who he was more enraptured by. Tem simply giggled, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet.
“They actually did it,” he breathed, eyes alight. “I knew they could.”
With a nod, I wrapped an arm around his shoulders, squeezing gently. “You did indeed. Told us all from the start, huh?”
He nodded proudly, his gaze never wavering as he watched our love sitting beside the mythical monster. “They always save the broken ones.”
After several minutes, I shifted uncertainly, moving a few steps closer to my partner and their wolf, hesitating when one enormous yellow eye rolled to watch me carefully. “So… What now?”
Mars shrugged, fingers working tangles free of the fur around Fenris’ ear. “Now… We take him home, I guess.”
“Home?” Win repeated incredulously, moving closer. “You want me to take him to where my kids are?”
The wolf’s lip curled, showing off the rows of gleaming teeth still flecked with bloody saliva. “You Think I Would Harm A Child?”
“Didn’t you once bite off the hand of the only person who had ever shown you any kindness?” my brother snapped back, arms folding stubbornly over his chest. Fenris snarled, and Bug got hurriedly to their feet, extending a hand towards both bristling, annoyed creatures.
“That’s enough, Win.”
“I Bit Off The Hand Of Someone Who Used That Trust – The Only Person I Had Ever Held Trust For – To Capture And Enslave Me. I Harbor No Shame For The Choice I Made,” the great beast spat, earning a soft nod from Mars.
“I think you, Win, of all people, can understand the pain of being betrayed by someone you love. And lashing out in anger at those who have hurt you,” they added pointedly, and my brother winced, looking away.
“I guess,” he admitted eventually, eyes narrowing as he glared at the floor.
“What will we feed him?” Tem queried – taking this, as everything, in his stride. Our partner hesitated, seemingly stumped by the question. While money wasn’t an issue, securing enough meat to keep the great wolf fed would likely prove something of a challenge.
After a moment, Greg raised his hand to draw our attention. “I… Think I might have an idea for that one.”
With Greg and Win having gone on ahead to inform the family and make arrangements – Winter muttering a quiet warning that only we and the wolf could hear - the rest of us prepared for the long trek back to Asgard, planning our route and considering the great wolf’s health. Mars’ fingers were still working free snags and tangles, when they paused, head cocking.
“What…” A frown creased their features, drawing my concern, and the wolf looked away, seeming almost ashamed.
“A Gift, From My Father,” he offered, the great voice disconcertingly soft. “If I Were To Permit Myself To Be Chained Like A Dog…”
“… Then you’d be collared like one,” Mars finished quietly, jaw setting. “He’s- I-” They let out a harsh, frustrated, hateful sound, and both Tem and I recoiled instinctively, unused to seeing this venom from our kind Bug.
“The world is, admittedly, a far better place without my dearest brother in it,” Thor agreed with a scoff – and we all froze at the sound of claws on rock, turning to see the enormous beast of myth pushing himself to his feet, legs trembling beneath him.
“My Father Is Gone?” he clarified softly, eerie yellow eyes settling on the god. Thor hesitated, glancing between us all in turn, but we could only shrug helplessly.
“I… Yes,” he clarified, voice cracking just a little, fingers twitching towards the haft of his hammer.
“How?”
“Slain,” I interjected, thinking of that goddamn horned crown adorning the bed where he’d once lay. “By someone he had wronged.”
The wolf met my gaze for a moment, silent, then simply nodded. “I Hope It Brought Them Peace.”
“It… Set them free,” I replied. “I’m uncertain if they’ll ever find true peace with the things he did to them. But they can live their lives knowing he can’t hurt them any more than he already has.”
I thought of Ashe, waking screaming in the night, still remembering what it felt to take the life of someone their sister would have died for. I thought of Nat, still too afraid to step foot in Asgard. I thought of Roma, who would flee at the mention of his name as her body dissolved into panic attacks.
And I thought of poor, sweet Lia. The one who was still afraid to dance for fear he’d find her. The one who couldn’t see beauty in a snowstorm or sunlight on the ocean. The one who still found her hand curling for him in the darkness and couldn’t help the tears that fell when they came up empty. The one who had, in her own, damaged way, loved him.
The wolf’s yellow eyes bored into mine, and I thought of him.
“He can’t hurt you anymore, either, Fenris.”
He sank back to his haunches heavily, still staring intensely at me for a moment, before letting out a low whine, building into a bone-trembling howl, full of joy and horror and grief and loss.
And hope, maybe.
By the time his cry resonated into silence, tears were flowing freely down Tem and Bug’s faces, pricking at my own eyes and misting over Thor’s gaze. It was a sound of utter emotion, pure and simple, and not one of us was immune.
This combination of feelings reminded me sharply of Lia – the myriad of feelings she’d felt at the Trickster’s death, ranging from grief to relief and everywhere in between. I couldn’t even begin to fathom what that kind of emotional entanglement did to someone’s mind; though if Lia’s enduring struggles were anything to go by, it would take a long time for Fenris to be okay with his loss.
We stood, each in our own thoughts, for several minutes before pulling ourselves back to the present.
The wolf got to his feet, and Mars buried their hands in his fur, burrowing close against his neck. “You’re going to be okay, Fen. I promise. Even if you’re not, for a little while.”
The great beast stiffened, lip wavering for just a moment before relaxing, his neck turning slowly, one wary eye on us as we watched him closely, his enormous head resting against my Bug’s shoulders gently. Every fibre of my being was acutely aware that it would take very little effort for him to take my lover’s life, but I felt no fear as his eye closed, letting himself soak in the warmth offered to him.
Their hands dug deeper into his fur, and found the collar, making him wince. They let out a soft, soothing shush, fingers working around ancient metal and straining desperately. I went to take a step forward, but Tem rested a gentle hand on my arm, shaking his head when I glanced back at him.
They weren’t strong enough to remove the sword or to break his chains, but they were strong enough for this. Enough metaphors – this was their moment.
With a grunt of effort, they yelped as they stumbled backwards, the dirt-encrusted leather collar and rusted buckle clasped tight in their grip.
Fenris shook out his fur, loose clumps floating to the floor, pulled free from the endless rubbing of the collar, and let out a long, low sigh. “That Is Better… Thank You.”
Mars smiled softly, reaching out to run their fingers once more through his coat. “Have you ever been brushed, hm?” He eyed them apprehensively, and they chuckled. “Don’t look so nervous. I think you’ll like it!”
The hours ticked by, talking quietly amongst ourselves, with Bug softly reassuring their companion and teasing the tangles free from their fur. We moved slowly, but had quickly come to a halt at the edge of the water, acknowledging that the wolf was still too weak to make the swim across the lake without longer to recuperate and adjust to his increased movement. He’d lowered himself to the ground once more, the cool water lapping at his paws and a rumble of pleasure echoing in his chest.
We were considering how best to facilitate his crossing when the sparks began to appear – slowly at first, and then faster as the circle began to form.
Stephen stepped through the portal in silence, the only indication of his surprise a single raised eyebrow. “… Good evening, all. Winter and Gregor thought you may benefit from my assistance.”
Fenris let out a low growl, but was quickly placated by Bug as they leaned against his shoulder, murmuring reassuringly. “It’s okay. Stephen is a friend.”
I glanced back to the magician, considering him quietly. This wasn’t the first time he’d been summoned to rescue folks from the lands around Asgard, and the memory of him escorting my future wife clad only in his cape and with tears staining her cheeks. I wondered absently if being here was as difficult for him as it had been for me, and whether he was as haunted as I was by the things we had seen.
But he said nothing as his hands parted wider, forcing the edges of the portal further apart, sparing a glance to the mighty beast before adding an extra couple of feet. Mars smiled softly, inclining their head graciously as they led the way through the portal, one hand still tangled protectively in Fenris’ fur and Tem skipping gaily after. But Thor, Stephen and I hesitated, glancing uncertainly at one another.
“What will you do now?” I prompted, head cocked as I glanced at the god. “You’re welcome to come with us and see how Fenris likes the farm, if you’d like?”
I tried not to think about the cause of Thor’s prolonged absence from the farm – that the last time he had stepped foot on the property was to redeliver the Spiders following his brother’s death.
He hesitated, unreadable darkness flickering over his features, and Stephen cleared his throat quietly. “If I may interject?” Thor nodded, and the surgeon smiled. “Greg and Winter returned your steeds to their home earlier today. I’m not sure if that influences your opinion, and you are not required to travel with us either way; if you’d prefer to return to Asgard, I would be happy to oblige. The choice is yours, Thor.”
The god considered his response for a moment, eyeing the glowing ring with apprehension before shaking his head and offering us a smile. “It would be a pleasure to visit your family, Sergeant Barnes. It has been too long.”
The farm had dissolved into chaos by the time our trio stepped through, the portal snapping closed behind us.
Mars’ arms were waving animatedly as they explained their journey to Apollo, my wide-eyed son sitting cross legged on the grass opposite them as they listened, enraptured.
Clint was watching from the sidelines, radiating uncertainty, his eyes sharp as he watched the events unfold, Nat signing gentle platitudes beside him. ... never put them at risk ... responsible ... good choices ... kindness ...
I smiled softly to myself, eyes moving to the mighty wolf beside my partner. Winter and Greg were engaged in deep, serious-looking discussion beside him, one of my brother’s hands tenderly and automatically smoothing one enormous ear. Mars themselves half-leant against the beast’s colossal flank, their body shifting as he breathed, while Roma and Ashe stared up at the creature with something akin to disbelief – and my heart stuttered nervously when I followed their gaze to find my rambunctious daughter astride a neck she wasn’t large enough to straddle effectively, her feet barely appearing over the side and her riotous giggling the only other indication of her presence.
He would never hurt a child, he said...
I forced myself to take a step forward, Stephen by my side. “I see my goddaughter is just as, ah... Fearless as ever.”
“She’s her mothers’ daughter,” I replied, chuckling, watching as Ashe willingly scaled Fenris’ side to scoop our daughter onto their lap. The wolf simply let out a low chuckle, ear flicking in amusement.
Mars had offered a hand to my son, and was knelt by his side as Apollo reached out a tentative hand to brush against the fur, chewing on his lip. One large, yellow eye rolled back to examine him, and he let out a soft squeak, fingers darting back to the safety of his pocket quickly and eliciting a fond smile from all onlookers.
“He reminds me of Captain Rogers,” Stephen murmured, head inclined with amused affection.
I chuckled and nodded in agreement, eyeing my dark-haired son. “He might look like me and Clint, and have his mothers’ eyes, but... If I didn’t know better, I’d swear he was a tiny Steve clone.”
Steve’s chest puffed proudly, and he moved closer to the pair beside the wolf, kneeling beside our son to murmur encouragingly, one hand slowly reaching out to caress the enormous beast. Apollo followed suit, fingertips brushing the thick fur gently, eyes darting nervously between his hand and the colossal eye fixed on him.
With a quiet grunt of pleasure, Fenris rolled onto his side, exposing more of his soft underbelly to my son. The duo sat astride him laughed and dove free, rolling as they landed and popping unharmed to their feet.
I watched with bated breath as my daughter rounded the enormous head, bringing herself in line with slightly parted jaws and smiling to herself. “Hi, wolfie. You’re very beautiful!”
An adoring smile flickered over my lips, enamoured with my children and their contrasting personalities. Artemis’ fingertips danced adoringly over a nose larger than her hand without fear, while Apollo was still tentatively petting the wolf’s proffered stomach.
“He seems... Happy,” I murmured, somewhat surprised. Mars glanced up at my words, smiling softly as they got to their feet and moved to stand beside me, their fingers finding mine.
“He seems at home,” they added, resting their head on my shoulder.
“We still have to figure out how the hell we’re going to feed him,” I mused. As if on cue, the door to the farmhouse opened, and Tony paused in the doorway, hands on his hips.
“Did someone call for a genius?’
It took less than an hour for Tony to build his machine, aided by his husband’s portals. In the meantime, Mars sat with a pen and paper, brow furrowed as they performed calculations no one else had ever needed to consider.
“So,” Tony started, the side of his fist meeting his palm as he hummed thoughtfully. “With the values Mars has kindly provided – thanks for that – I’ve already set this up.” He waved a hand at the machine he’d assembled by the back door while my partner blushed shyly and cast a glance at the wolf sat with his head cocked curiously. “Essentially, this is an atomic duplicator. With the help of my loving husband, we obtained samples in the ratios suggested by Mars, so now we just...” He pressed a large red button below a touchscreen, and a low whine emanated from the machine for several seconds. We watched, enraptured, as the lower half of the machine slid up, revealing a tall bucket as long as my leg and full to the brim with kibble and pieces of meat.
Mars clapped their hands, delighted, and Tony grinned. “When Greg and Winter approached me after calling on Stephen, I considered cloning and asked if I could borrow one of the chickens, but-”
“I said no,” Roma interrupted, chuckling. “We’re not killing three dozen copies Yolko Ono every day!”
I snorted, grinning fondly at the memory of the day Steve opted to name one of the chickens Colonel. “Yeah, yeah, I remember – ‘We do not eat the chickens, Wolf’,” I teased, reaching out to squeeze her hand adoringly as she smiled sheepishly back.
Tony shrugged. “Yes, no eating the chickens; I got it. No problem – this is probably easier for you all anyway. Three of these a day should meet his nutritional needs, but it can be adjusted if necessary.”
“Three?!” Tem repeated, eyebrows raised, glancing back at Fenris in surprise.
“He’s a big boy!” Mars replied defensively, leaning against the wolf’s shoulder adoringly. I snorted, looking at my gathering, the enormous tub of food that Temnota was in the process of pouring into a horse-trough, and the mythical creature eagerly tucking in as soon as Tem wasn’t in the way.
It’s weird, and unique, and probably pretty terrifying...
But it’s family. My family. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.