Chapter Text
“Shadow doesn’t like that.”
“What?”
Buck rolls his eyes. “Shadow. She doesn’t like the frozen meat. It’s too cold. Unnatural. But if she waits for it to thaw, someone else is gonna steal it. I always thaw a piece out for her.”
It’s good advice, the sort of inside tip Eddie wouldn’t be able to learn from any of the training materials Bobby sent to him, but he can’t help but catch on one word Buck used. Holding back his grin, with a raised brow Eddie asks, “‘Unnatural’? She tell you that herself?”
The comment earns him a big huff from Buck, nostrils flaring.
And yeah, Eddie should’ve expected that. He’s been here, the California Wolf Sanctuary, for one week now. Eddie’s still getting his bearings: new city, new job. But it’s all been the good kind of new. Exciting and fulfilling. Doing something completely different than anything before, something that doesn’t cause pain and destruction, gets him home on time to see his son, where he can actually share stories that make Christopher smile.
So it’s all been pretty amazing, as far as first weeks go.
Well, everything except Buck, who had decided to hate Eddie the very moment he walked in on day one.
“This isn’t a joke. I actually care about their likes and dislikes, and put in the effort to learn them. If you don't, this isn’t the place for you.”
Maybe it’s not, Eddie thinks, if he has to work with this guy.
Buck walks up to him then, standing at his full height. Eddie thinks about the wolves, tail held high, baring teeth, trying to assert dominance. It’s as if, to Buck, Eddie is some sort of threat. “And the meat they’d get in the wild? It’s warm and fresh and definitely not frozen. So, yeah, unnatural.”
Eddie holds eye contact and doesn’t back away. He keeps his voice calm though, he doesn’t actually want whatever stupid competition this guy is bringing. “You know, the wolves are marking their territory less than you are right now.”
Buck scoffs. “As if you even know anything about wolves.”
“Well, it’s my first week and I’m just here trying to learn, and for some reason you have a problem with that.”
“Yeah. I have a problem with people who come in with no experience and act like they own the place and don’t want to listen about how things are done.”
Eddie barely holds back an eye roll. Jesus, this guy. He’s about to respond when out of the corner of his eye, he spots Shadow. A smile tugs at his lips. “Oh, would you look at that,” he boasts, getting Buck’s attention. He points over to the wolf. Shadow is happily gnawing on the frozen rabbit. “Looks like she doesn’t hate cold meat after all.” With that, he turns away, heading for the next enclosure.
As he leaves he can still hear Buck behind him talking, but not to Eddie. “Come on, seriously? You’re embarrassing me. Now is when you decide to stop being picky? Real mature, girl.”
*
“What the hell are you doing?” Buck asks, glaring from the doorway, not even a foot into the room before finding something Eddie did wrong.
And there goes any chance of a good morning. Eddie prides himself on at least not spilling a drop of his coffee when Buck’s brash voice rang through the peaceful kitchenette. Eddie remains calm, tells himself all Buck wants is a rise out of him, and Eddie won’t give in. Instead, he raises one unimpressed eyebrow as he takes another sip from his mug.
“That’s my mug,” Buck growls, pointing at the ceramic in Eddie’s hand. It’s a deep blue with a silhouetted wolf howling at a moon. It definitely doesn’t have a name on it.
“I was under the impression the dishes were for everyone to use.”
Buck’s nostrils flare. “Yeah, everything but that mug. That one’s mine.”
If Buck was being normal, then or, you know, for once in his life, Eddie would have just handed over the damn mug. But it’s such a stupid thing to be stubbornly pissed off at him about, Eddie can’t help himself. Might as well meet Buck on his own level. Today? This is Eddie’s mug. “Well, I’m already using it.”
“Well, get a new one.”
Eddie scoffs. “No. I was here first.”
“No, I was here first. All you’ve been doing for these three weeks is like, encroaching where no one even wants you. Give me my mug.”
Eddie rolls his eyes. Encroaching. This guy is so fucking annoying. “Well,” Eddie says, raising the mug at Buck, and bearing his teeth in his best ‘fuck you’ grin, “I’m using it.”
Buck stalks over, eyes dead set on Eddie, until he’s looming over the table. Without breaking eye contact he brings his hand up to his face and…
Sucks on two of his fingers.
Eddie, bewildered, can’t stop staring at his mouth, unsure what is happening. He feels like he stepped into some weird, nonsensical nightmare.
Finally, Buck pulls his fingers out from his lips, and then in one smooth motion sticks them right into Eddie’s hot cup of coffee, then swirls them around for added measure.
He takes them out with a triumphant grin, once again bringing his fingers to his own mouth, this time to lick them clean. “You take too much sugar, by the way,” he says with a smirk.
Eddie lets Buck have his moment, keeps his own face steady for as long as he can. Then, Eddie shrugs, and takes a nice long sip of his coffee, letting out an exaggerated sigh at the end.
Buck’s face has fallen, looking even more pissed than before. Good. Eddie had wanted to rub a little salt in the wound. “I have a kid. I’ve seen way worse. Hell, I’ve had way worse on me than a finger in my coffee. But nice try.”
For a moment, Buck’s eyes look wild, like he’s about to lunge at Eddie. Instead, he huffs and storms out the room, crashing into Hen and Chimney on his way. It doesn’t stop him though, with a shout of, “Bobby!” he stomps on, heading for their boss’s office.
Hen and Chimney exchange glances then sit down with Eddie. “So…what did we miss?” Chimney asks with a wince.
“Apparently I stole his very special mug,” Eddie says, not bothering to hide the sarcasm. “I know you guys keep saying he’s all bark, Buck’s a real sweetheart, but I'm starting to worry you all just have terrible judge of character,” Eddie half-jokes. He sighs, rubbing at his eyes. “What the hell is his problem?”
“Full moon tonight,” Chimney says with a smirk, chewing his gum like he’s proud of himself for that joke.
Hen shoves him. “Don’t listen to this idiot.”
Eddie waves it off. “Oh don’t worry, I wasn’t. I’m not that easy.”
“Look, I’m not excusing Buck’s behavior, but he’s just… he’s really protective over this place. He doesn’t see it as just a job. It’s his home,” Hen explains sympathetically. And Eddie can understand that, he really can.
Except he’s never done anything to threaten any of that for Buck. He purposely tried to stay out of his way after things went south that first day. This isn’t being protective, it’s being a territorial asshole. But he’ll keep that to himself for now, not wanting to make any more work enemies. Everyone else really does seem to care for him.
“And me taking his mug is a threat?”
“Today is a weird day for him. He’s got…” Hen looks to Chimney, glaring at the smug expression still on his face. “Allergies,” she finally adds.
“Allergies?” Eddie deadpans.
Hen avoids his gaze, taking a sip of her own coffee. “Mm-hmm.”
Chimney laughs beside her. “Yeah, our Buck has a pretty sensitive nose.”
“Well, he should see a doctor if it's that bad. Maybe have them remove the giant stick up his ass while they’re at it,” Eddie snarks, still feeling annoyed. With Buck. With himself for letting Buck get under his skin. It’s not how he wants to spend his day at all. He sighs, slumping in his seat. “Whatever. I don’t even wanna think about him anymore. I’m just gonna keep my head down, and finish the shift.”
Hen offers him a kind smile, and then a lifeline. “I need to do some checks on the wolves today anyways. Why don’t I do the rounds with Buck, keep him off your back. And you can pair up with Chim today.”
“Hell yeah.” Chimney holds his hand out for a high five, which Eddie gladly returns. “We’ve got scent enrichments to prepare. I’ll show you a good time, Diaz.”
And well, if he’s able to stick with Chimney, and Buck stays out of his way, that might just be true.
*
“Have you seen Buck?” Bobby looks tense. It’s the first thing he’s said to Eddie today, only having arrived five minutes ago.
“Uh, no, I just got in. Does he need me for something? I thought he was off today?” It was maybe the thing Eddie was most looking forward to today: a full shift without Buck glaring at him.
“No, he’s—he is off, but I stopped by his cabin and he wasn’t there. I was wondering if maybe he clocked in anyways.”
It’s not implausible. Buck is always here, and Eddie’s pretty sure it’s not even because, unlike the rest of them, he lives in a small cottage on site. He just loves this place, enjoys the work, the wolves, and pretty much everything except Eddie. But it’s still kind of overkill that Bobby is worried just because the guy isn’t answering his door at 8:00 a.m. “I haven’t seen him since yesterday. But I’ll shoot him a text, see if he gets back to me.” He leaves off how truly unlikely that would be, especially with how terrible their last encounter had been. The only reason Eddie even has his number is from the work group chat.
“Please do.” Still looking worried, Bobby walks back into his office, shutting the door behind him.
Eddie sends a quick message to Buck: hey man, just checking in, bobbys looking for you. With that taken care of, he can get back to his morning routine.
Buck or not, the wolves don't like waiting around for food.
*
Eddie wouldn’t say this is his favorite part of the job. It’s pretty gross, Eddie thinks, tossing a rabbit carcass into the South enclosure. There’s a smaller pack of three in this one, but they were all out front waiting for their meals, Jolene tearing into the rabbit before it even lands. The wolves here get fed every two days, they know exactly when to expect it by now.
When he finishes up, he moves on to the North enclosure, the pack led by Shadow. It’s curiously quiet though, none of the wolves waiting around to be fed like usual. He stands around dumbly for a moment, craning his neck to look around the area at their preferred spots. Luna isn’t by the log that gets full sun this time of day. Akela isn’t under the shelter he favors.
He’s never had to deal with missing wolves before. The North enclosure goes pretty far back into the woods. Out of their three enclosures this is by far the largest, they could be anywhere. Without any other ideas, but not ready to worry Bobby yet, he starts calling out their names. He’s pretty doubtful it’ll work, but by some miracle Shadow makes her way out of the deep forest towards him.
Akela and the two younger wolves, Timber and Raven, follow. Eddie breathes a sigh of relief. When they don’t happily trot over to collect their meals, he realizes it may have been too early though.
They’re acting weird. Tense, their tails hanging low, paying no mind to the meat he brought them. The two young wolves have sat themselves down, howling over and over. Shadow takes the lead as always, walking up to the edge of the enclosure and pacing in front of Eddie along the fence. She keeps yapping at him, getting his attention with an almost frantic whine. She keeps looking behind her, then running over to the edge of the forest, before running back to Eddie. Like she wants to show him something. It’s all making alarm bells go off in Eddie’s head.
He’s not supposed to do this. Day one training says you only go into the enclosure if you have someone watching your back. Except Buck is off today, and Eddie, stupidly trying to prove he deserved his place here, offered to do the feeding alone, not expecting anything out of the ordinary.
But this isn’t ordinary. The wolves are howling and whining and begging him to follow. Shadow keeps looking off into the distance, into the woods, beyond where Eddie can see. Their wolves don’t act like this unless something is wrong.
Eddie lets himself through the gate, locking it behind him. He turns and makes eye contact with Shadow, who dips her head and then runs off to the top of the hill. She stops to look back, only moving again once she sees Eddie following.
She leads him to the very back of the enclosure, an area he’s only seen from the outside, no need to ever come this deep in. There’s a large rock formation protruding out of the ground that the wolves often play around. Shadow makes her way to the top ledge, and Eddie climbs after her. Luna is waiting for them, pacing back and forth with a low, upset whine.
It dawns on him, what a truly stupid idea this was. No one knows he’s in here, sure he has his radio, but it would be a good ten minutes at least before anyone could get to him. He’s never witnessed their wolves be violent towards any of them here, let alone lure anyone into a trap, but these are wild animals, no matter how much of a bond he feels he has with them. And he’s locked himself in a cage with them, gotten outnumbered, while they’re visibly distressed.
He clutches his radio in his hand, ready to take a step back, start retreating, when he hears it.
There’s a faint scratching noise, followed by a howl, broken and pained. Shadow and Luna are nosing at a crevice between two of the larger rocks. Eddie takes a cautious step forward, and another, until he can see what they’re after.
He looks down between the rocks, and sees two eyes staring back at him.
It’s a wolf. A big one. One he doesn’t recognize. It’s lodged itself between the rocks, and twisted around in a painful position trying to get loose by the looks of it.
Eddie pulls out his radio, still watching the wolf, assessing the situation as he calls Bobby. “Eddie to Bobby. We have a situation here.”
Bobby’s reply comes through instantly. “Go ahead.”
“I’m in the far west side of the North enclosure. We have a male in distress, caught between two boulders, going to need some help on the extraction. Over.”
“Copy. Which wolf is it?”
Eddie looks him over again, wracking his brain for any recognition. “Have we gotten any new wolves I don’t know about? This guy is big, Bobby, and I don’t recognize him.”
Bobby sounds urgent when his voice comes through again, clearly already on the move. “I’m on my way. Keep him stable.”
*
Bobby gets there in five minutes, meaning he must’ve ran. He assessed the situation in silence, jaw clenched, but then he kneels down next to the crack, and reaches his hand towards the wolf’s head. Eddie nearly lurches forward to pull him back, because what the fuck kind of death wish does he have? But instead of biting his hand off, the wolf stops whining, and nuzzles into his hand, seeking the comfort. “It’s okay, we’re gonna get you out of here.”
Bobby turns to him then, determination on his face. “You take him by the feet, I'll take the shoulders. We’re just gonna lift him right out. It’s not elegant, but we can treat any scrapes or breaks once he’s out of here.”
Eddie nods dumbly, then finds his voice. “Did you bring your kit? Something to knock him out?”
“No.” It’s immediate and stern.
“Bobby, I don’t care what sort of bond you think you have with these wolves, he’s an injured wild animal. He could hurt you and himself more if he struggles.”
“Eddie. I said no.”
Eddie clenches his jaw, but nods again.
Eddie gets into position. He reaches his hands down, ready to grip the wolf, expecting thrashing and kicking, bracing for a scream from Bobby, or a yelp from the wolf but instead, continuing in the series of things that haven't made sense, the wolf relaxes into his touch, going boneless under his hands.
“Eddie,” Bobby calls, getting his attention, face serious. “On three.”
Eddie swallows, and Bobby counts them down.
“One.”
Eddie steadies his grips, soft fur beneath his fingers.
“Two.”
He shifts his eyes from Bobby to the wolf, who is staring back at him already, gaze steady.
“Three.”
They pull up together, the wolf going with them easy, only letting out a small whine as its shoulders are yanked up.
Bobby immediately pulls the wolf towards him, almost cradling it, petting along its head, trying to soothe it. It’s a bizarre sight, but somehow it actually works, with the wolf curling in closer. Bobby keeps his gaze down on the wolf, when he addresses Eddie, “You should head back. Let Hen know what happened and she can meet me out here.”
“What? Why would I—I can radio Hen. I’m not leaving you alone here with one injured wolf and two more staring us down.”
Bobby looks like he’s about to argue, but the wolf, half in his lap, whines and nudges at his leg. Bobby relents with a sigh. “Okay. I dropped my kit over there, can you grab me the blanket and something for the pain?”
As Eddie turns to leave, he catches Bobby muttering, “Come on, you have to focus now. Focus.” It makes Eddie stumble for a moment, unsure if Bobby is talking himself down or—
Or the wolf.
It doesn’t matter though, not now, when there’s so much to do. Eddie jogs over to Bobby’s med kit, grabs what he needs and then slings the whole bag over his shoulder just in case.
Eddie runs back, skidding to a halt when he reaches Bobby, nearly dropping everything.
The wolf isn’t there anymore. Instead it’s been replaced with—
“Buck?”
Buck tips his head in greeting. “Hey, can I get that blanket?” He’s propped up against Bobby’s lap, right where the wolf was when Eddie left. Buck’s voice is shot, his eyes unfocused. And he’s completely naked.
That suddenly propels him into action, draping the blanket over Buck’s lap and the med kit next to Bobby. Eddie can hear Bobby get right to work.
Eddie should be doing the same. Instead, he takes a step back, unsure what the hell is happening right now. He feels like he’s stepped outside of his body. Like he’s hallucinating. That must be it. When Eddie looks back up at Bobby, he’s already staring back, assessing, gaze cool and protective.
“Bobby…” Buck rasps, snapping them both out of it. His head is lolling back, completely out of it. It could be from the morphine, or the injuries, maybe dehydration. Or it could be that he was just a fucking wolf.
Bobby rests Buck's head on his lap, brushing one hand through his hair to distract him from the other taking his pulse. “Hey, take it easy, kid, you’re okay. You’re okay.”
Buck looks up at Bobby, eyes barely open. “Eddie—Eddie saved me…”
Eddie swallows, putting everything he feels away for now. He kneels down next to Buck and gets to work, assessing the damage. Nothing is actually fully broken, but there’s some pretty bad bruising and scrapes, and a sprain in Buck’s left shoulder. Bobby deems that stable enough to move and between the two of them they’re able to get Buck out of the enclosure. Eddie is ready to head for the main building, to Hen’s clinic, but Bobby just shakes his head, directing them to Buck’s cabin instead.
Once they get Buck settled in his bed, Bobby ushers them out of the room, and closes the door. Bobby’s voice is calm and quiet when he says, “I’m sure you have a lot of questions.”
“Yeah, Bobby, I do. What the fuck?” Eddie hisses, keeping his own volume down too, not wanting to disturb Buck.
“There’s not really a better way to say this: Buck is a werewolf.”
“I’ve gathered that, and now I’m trying to figure out if I'm having a psychotic break.”
“Let’s sit down, okay?” Bobby gently puts his hand on Eddie's shoulder and steers him to the couch.
”This isn’t a breakdown, or a prank, or anything like that. It’s just the weird truth. And I understand it’s a lot to take in.”
That’s the understatement of the century. Buck is a mythical fucking creature, one room away from them right now.
“If you feel like you need to quit, I would understand. But you can’t tell anyone what happened.”
“Are you—are you firing me?”
“No! Of course not. You’ve been doing really great in the short time you’ve been with us, I’d hate to lose you. I just wanted you to know your options. And if you need a few days, I’d understand that. But some people aren’t comfortable with Buck once they find out. And if that’s the case this isn’t the place for you.”
“I'm not gonna quit,” Eddie says immediately. He didn’t even realize until the words were out of his mouth how certain he was. He likes this job, despite the distance Buck was putting between them. He's clicked with everyone else, and he actually likes the work. It feels like he’s doing something good. Learning about Buck, that doesn’t change anything, and maybe even clears up certain things about him. But there are still other questions he has. He doesn’t want to be blindsided like this again. “Is it…is it all of you?” Eddie asks.
Bobby shakes his head. “No, just Buck. I didn’t even know it was possible until he showed up on my doorstep two years ago.”
“Okay. Do Hen and Chim not know?”
Bobby frowns. “No, they do.”
“You didn’t let me take him to the clinic.”
The corner of Bobby’s mouth twitches, holding back a grin, as he says, “The one that’s attached to our public office? Where we have a tour arriving in less than an hour?”
Eddie pales. “Shit.”
“It’s fine, I sent a text to Chim as soon as you radioed me this morning. He’s gonna start it off for us.”
“Okay. Okay. I can go help him out too, after we take care of Buck.”
“No, you’re done for today.”
Eddie shakes his head. He feels dismissed. It spurs him on, like he needs to prove he can still do it, that he’s okay. “He shouldn’t be doing my work alone.”
“Eddie,” Bobby says, firm. “Your hands are shaking.”
“What?” Eddie looks down at his decidedly unsteady hands. “Shit. I think it’s the adrenaline.”
“Yeah, I bet. Which is why I’m sending you home.”
“I don’t want to leave you two men down.”
Bobby sighs, and Eddie is ready to call it a win. He knows how to be persistent when it matters. “Okay, you’re right.” Eddie only gets one fleeting moment of satisfaction before Bobby continues, “You stay here with Buck for today. I’ll do one more check on him and make sure he’s okay, and then I’ll give you a rundown of what you need to watch out for. But mostly both of you can just rest.”
“I—what?” Eddie sputters.
“That’s your assignment for the day. Taking care of one of our wolves, he’s just a little less furry now.”
“Wouldn’t Hen be better? She could treat him, and he actually likes her.”
“All his injuries looked superficial. Plus, he heals a little faster than us. If you notice anything getting worse you can just call me. And that second part…I think that’s why it needs to be you. It could do you two some good, clear the air!”
It sounds like a trainwreck waiting to happen to Eddie, but he’s not gonna fight Bobby on this. He respects Bobby too much, even if Eddie thinks he’s a little too optimistic this time. So, Eddie puts a smile on his face and says, “Great idea, boss.”
Bobby leaves fifteen minutes later, with a stern “Update me every hour, I mean it,” to Eddie, and an even more stern, “Be good,” to Buck.
And then they’re alone.
Eddie leans awkwardly against the doorframe of Buck’s room, not quite stepping in.
He takes it all in. A National Park Service poster on the wall. Laundry basket overflowing with hoodies. A collection of framed photos, mostly of Buck with the friends they work with, on his dresser. Eddie figures, after the rough morning Buck’s had, Eddie can step up and be the one to break the ice. “This place is… cozy,” is what he settles on, lamely.
“Uh, yeah. It used to be Bobby’s actually, when he first bought this place. He moved when he and Athena got married, and, um, then it was just kinda, for storage for a while, I think? When I first showed up I didn’t really have a place to live and he, uh, told me I could crash here as long as I needed.” Buck scratches the side of his head, looking sheepish.
“That was about two years ago now, I guess.” He shrugs. “I like it. Never found a reason to leave.”
Eddie nods, smile tugging at his lips. “Sounds about right, especially when you get free roam of this place.”
“Yeah. It’s, uh, good for me and the wolves I think. Bobby likes it too, that I can keep an eye on things when he’s not here.”
Buck is propped up by pillows in the middle of his massive bed that takes up nearly the entire modest room. He’s been bandaged up, ice pack draped over his shoulder. He’s looking right back at Eddie, watching in silence. But it’s not the angry glare Eddie has become accustomed too. He looks small, almost shy, worrying his lip.
“So,” Eddie says, deciding they should stop talking around it, “you really were being territorial.”
It earns him a big hearty laugh from Buck. Maybe too big with the way he holds his side and winces. Eddie finally steps inside, moving to the bedside. “Hey, take it easy.”
“Sorry. For all of that.” Buck does look sorry—miserable, even.
Eddie sits down in the chair next to the bed that Bobby had pulled in here. “Yeah, well. At least I know it wasn’t a ‘me’ thing now. You’re just… weird.”
Buck pouts. “Hey! I’m injured. Be a little nice.” Eddie levels him with a stare. “Okay, yeah, I guess I don’t really deserve nice.”
Eddie shrugs, a wordless eh—he maybe doesn’t disagree, but he’s taking the high ground.
Buck adjusts his ice pack before he keeps going. “Um, you were really great out there. With—with me, but also with Shadow. Following her. Listening.”
“It’s part of the job.”
“Well, not everyone would do it as well as you. And—and I guess you get why it was a little…personal for me. But I’ve been such an asshole, and I’m so—”
“Buck,” Eddie cuts him off. “As long as you’re not gonna bite my head off anymore, it’s behind us, okay? We can start over.”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t know about you, but having a coworker who hates my guts sucks. So, yeah. We’re good. And I think there’s a lot you could teach me, more than I could’ve imagined. I hope you can trust me now.”
“I—of course I do.”
“So I passed the test now? I’m part of the pack?” Eddie teases.
“It’s not a pack,” Buck grumbles, and Eddie absolutely does not believe him.
*
“So…you said you got a kid? I, uh, I love kids.”
They’d settle into a laidback conversation with the air cleared, sticking to mundane topics, nothing about Buck’s supernatural transformation. It stays pretty impersonal, safe—the weather, the big school trip they’re hosting next week—until Buck had finally broached a new topic.
Eddie can’t help the smile that takes over his face. “Yeah. Christopher. He’s eight.” Eddie fishes out his phone and pulls up a recent picture, Christopher smiling bright in front of his new school.
“Wow, he's adorable.” Buck grins up at him, and it sounds genuine. “Don’t know where he gets that from,” he adds playfully.
Eddie laughs. “Watch it. Next time I'll leave you in the rocks.”
“Oh no,” Buck says, shaking his head. “There will not be a next time. I’m never doing that again.” He clears his throat before continuing, “So, tell me about Christopher.”
“He’s the best kid in the whole world. The whole reason I’m here. Um, it’s just been me and him, his mother passed a year ago but she hadn’t been in our lives for a while before that either so, you know… he’s my everything.”
“Shit, Eddie, I’m so—”
“Don’t,” Eddie cuts him off. “You don’t need to do that. We get enough sympathy we aren’t looking for. I’d rather just have a friend.”
Buck lets out a soft, surprised exhale. Maybe it’s a leap—to jump from being at each other's throats to friends. Maybe it’s too much to ask for. But then Buck smiles a little to himself, like he’s pleased.“Yeah. Yeah, I can do that,” he says. “So, um, the whole reason you’re here?”
“Well, Christopher likes animals.”
Buck nods along, as if he’s waiting for Eddie to continue. When Eddie doesn’t he scrunches up his face. “Wait—seriously? That cannot be all there is, you can’t take some random job across the country based on an eight-year-olds interest.”
Eddie shrugs. “I didn’t have any better options.”
He’s not lying. Exaggerating maybe—simplifying for sure. But after he came home from Afghanistan and Shannon left, he was left adrift. His recovery didn’t go as smoothly as anticipated, and his original plan—firefighting—was ruled out. It only got worse the day Eddie got a phone call from a hospital in Los Angeles that confirmed Shannon was really never coming back. He had to start from scratch. He had been working three jobs just to keep him and Christopher afloat, barely seeing him each day, and then grief was added to the mix. Eddie had felt like he was drowning, like he might fail the one good thing in his life. So one day, he sat down with Christopher and asked him what he wanted, what Eddie should do.
Christopher, who had just spent the week rewatching some kid-friendly nature documentary over and over, had said, “You should help animals, Dad,” and so he threw himself into applying to every wildlife sanctuary and zoo he could. Which was not an easy task when he had no related job experience. But he was a father at his wits end just trying to make his kid happy in any way he could. And like some sort of miracle he found the Wolf Sanctuary of California through a veteran outreach program. He had an interview by the end of the week. A month later he had moved his son three states over to start their new life.
Buck shakes his head. “You’re unbelievable, Eddie.” But, unlike what would’ve happened last week, or hell, yesterday, he says it with a warm smile. “Okay, tell me more about Christopher.”
Eddie spends the majority of the next hour talking Buck’s ear off about his son. Once he gets going, it’s difficult to stop, especially when Buck actually looks amused and eager for every story.
They’re on their second game of Go Fish, the only game Buck comfortably knows, when Eddie feels his phone buzz in his pocket three times in a row. His stomach drops as he reads the message. “Shit.”
“Everything okay?” Buck asks, brow furrowed with genuine concern on his face.
“Yeah, it’s…” His first instinct is to say fine, like always but it catches in his throat. Here he is sitting across from Buck, who’s let him in on the biggest secret he’s ever known, and Eddie was about to hide this. Eddie runs a hand through his hair, letting out a breath. “No, actually. My abuela’s car broke down. She picks up Christopher for me while I’m on shift, and she obviously won’t be able to now.”
“Okay. So let’s go get him then.” Buck says it like it’s obvious. Like there isn’t one glaring issue with that.
“You can’t come, Bobby would kill me. You should be resting.” Eddie‘s already running through his other options in his head. He can’t ask Pepa, who’s at work until five. He just needs to tell Bobby without making it sound like he’s skipping out on the one thing he asked Eddie to do, make it clear it’s not because of Buck.
“I’m fine. And it’s just sitting in a car. I wanna go. Um, unless—if you don’t want me too that’s okay. I–I’d understand.”
“What?”
“Like, because of what I am—if you think it’s too dangerous.”
Eddie pauses to take in what Buck is saying, looking insecure, the bright smile and determination from just a moment before, vanished. It takes all the fight out of Eddie. “Are you gonna eat him?”
Buck’s eyes go wide, scrambling to defend himself. “No! I’d never attack him—”
“Then there’s no issue with that.” Eddie sighs, already knowing he’s given in. “Are you sure you’re up to it?”
“I’m sick of being cooped up.”
“It’s been like six hours.”
“Yeah, an eternity. Please take me with you.” Buck whines, putting on a show with wide eyes and a pout. It’s ridiculous. It absolutely should not be rewarded.
“Fine,” Eddie says before adding: “But you’re telling Bobby.”
“Deal!” Eddie’s pretty sure if Buck still had his tail it would be wagging right now, as he hops out of bed, tossing on a jacket. “Hurry up, let's go!”
Buck dutifully does run into the main office to let Bobby know on their way out. When he finally exits, he’s holding a wolf plush toy conspicuously in his hand. Eddie waits for Buck to get back in the car before raising his eyebrows at the toy in his lap. “What’s that?” he asks with a grin tugging at his lips.
Buck frowns, looking straight ahead. “Nothing.” Eddie bites back his smile and waits. “A bribe.”
“You’re ridiculous. And Christopher has enough toys already.”
“Yeah, well, too bad, he’s gonna get one more. I want him to like me.”
Eddie shakes his head with a laugh, as he pulls out of the park. He has a feeling Buck doesn’t need to worry about that.
*
Eddie leans against the car as he waits. As soon as Christopher’s close enough, he crouches down to pull him into a hug. He feels more than hears the muffled giggle into his neck. “I missed you, kiddo. How was school?”
“We learned about the water cycle. Where’s bisabuela?”
“She had some car trouble, so you’re stuck with me today.” Eddie ruffles Christopher’s hair, earning him a shriek as Christopher ducks away and playfully whacks at Eddie with his crutch.
Eddie gets Christopher buckled into his seat before he notices Buck, head turned to watch them over his seat up front. “Who’re you?” Christopher asks, a little more bluntly than Eddie’s taught him.
“I’m, uh—I’m Buck. I work with your dad!”
Christopher’s face scrunches up in thought. “He hasn’t mentioned you.” Eddie hides his laugh with a cough.
Buck’s face falls, glancing over to Eddie with wide eyes, looking for help. Eddie just stays quiet and shuts the door, enjoying letting him sweat a bit. When Eddie makes it around to his own seat, Buck is talking again, “That was totally my fault. I didn’t introduce myself properly until today. But now—now, I know how cool he is, and what a cool kid he has, and we’re gonna work together all the time.”
“Do you work with the wolves too?”
Eddie catches Buck’s relieved smile before he backs out of the parking lot
“Yes! I do! Has your dad shown you any pictures yet?”
“Yeah! I like the white one, with the fluffy tail.”
“That’s Luna! She’s a sweetheart!” She’s not really, in Eddie’s opinion. She’s yappy, and she pushed Raven out of their last feeding, leaving only the scraps and a spare rabbit Buck had held back. But Eddie will keep that to himself for now, content to let Christopher badger Buck with questions the whole ride home.
By the time Eddie parks his car, Christopher has a new favorite person, the wolf stuffie he’ll be attached to for weeks to come cradled in his arms.
*
Walking in for his next shift is...strange.
He went through the same routine he does every morning. Shower. Breakfast. Dropped off Christopher like always, drove the same route, parked in the same spot. Like everything is normal. Like he didn’t have the most insane, world-changing day the last time he walked into the office.
He’s not really sure what to expect from Buck. Yes, they seemed to have buried the hatchet, and he knows a whole side of Buck he couldn’t have even imagined. They’ve opened up to each other. Shared secrets. And he met Eddie’s kid, and entertained him for about five hours.
But that was so far outside the norm that Eddie doesn’t know what to do with any of it, now that he's back at work. Maybe it was all an anomaly. It still all feels like a fever dream. Honestly, maybe it was. That would make more sense than any of it being real.
Except when Eddie walks into the kitchenette, Buck is waiting for him with a smile.
“Here,” Buck says, holding out a mug of coffee. “I made it for you.”
It’s only when Eddie takes it that he notices—
The deep blue. The wolf silhouette and the moon. Eddie’s eyebrows climb his forehead. “This is your mug.”
Buck scratches the back of his neck, briefly looking away. “That was so embarrassing. Please forget about that and use the mug whenever you want.”
“Oh, uh, thanks.” Eddie smiles as he takes a sip, unable to take his eyes off Buck over the rim of the cup. And that morning is the last day Eddie ever worries about anything being weird.
*
“So, how long have you been…you know…” Eddie looks around. There’s no one in the park anymore after closing for the day, just the cleanup left, but it still feels weird to say out loud. Eddie opts for making a claw gesture with his hands.
Buck doesn’t hold back his laugh, the beautiful sound ringing through the area. “About four years now, I guess? Maybe closer to five.”
It’s usually like this, now. Buck is open and friendly, and eager to spend time with Eddie; joke around, to help him learn the ropes. It’s as different as night and day.
They’re actually a pretty good team since being on the same page. Instead of dreading his shifts with Buck, an eight hour misery that dragged so long it felt like it was doubled, now Eddie looks forward to them. The conversations never seem to stop, not even ending at work. Buck has even been to his house twice again since the day he met Christopher.
They’ve talked about everything, not just wolf stuff, but—Eddie still, probably always will, has questions about that.
“Wow.”
“Were you expecting longer or shorter?”
“I don’t know…longer I guess?” Eddie pauses as he ties off the last garbage bag. “It’s weird to think your wolf side is younger than Christopher. And like, you were just living your life for twenty something years like normal and then that happened. That must’ve been hard.”
Buck shrugs. “I didn’t really have any roots down at the time, so, I guess there wasn’t much to disrupt at least.”
Eddie feels a pang in his chest. Even during his worst, Eddie always had his family, he had Christopher. The more he hears about Buck’s past, the more it makes sense how important the wolf sanctuary is to him. This is the first real home he’s had, hell, even his sister followed him out here. Eddie gestures to the benches on the path, and they both take a seat. “Can I…ask how it happened? If it’s too much you don’t have—”
Buck waves him off. “No, no, it’s fine. Um, just a wrong place, wrong time, kissed the wrong girl sort of situation.”
Eddie nods and waits for Buck to continue.
“I met a girl at some bar and, you know, we made our way to the back alley. It was all going great… until her girlfriend found us. She was pretty upset, understandably. But instead of a slap to the face, next thing you know there’s this giant wolf lunging at me. It got its teeth around my leg pretty bad.” Buck lifts his right leg into the bench, folding up his pant leg to reveal a faded scar spanning his calf.
Eddie lets out a low whistle, reaching out to touch before he can stop himself. Buck shudders momentarily under the touch but lets it happen, and only brings his leg back to the ground once Eddie takes his hand away.
“It’s kind of foggy after that,” Buck continues, “but I remember being in like, excruciating pain for two days until the night of the full moon. And then I woke up from what I thought was the strangest dream of my life, naked in a field, covered in dirt, feathers and animal blood.”
“Shit.”
Buck shrugs again. “Yeah, I uh, didn’t really know what was going on. I packed up that day, heading to somewhere new as fast as I could. By the time the next moon rolled around I had convinced myself it was all in my head. Until it happened again. After that I moved around even more. Trying to outrun whatever was happening with me I think.”
Buck lets out a low chuckle and smiles, and Eddie knows he’s just trying to make light of the situation, but he finds himself drawn in anyways, mirroring Buck. “Luckily, before I could really fuck up, I met another wolf a few months in. He helped me understand what was happening. Helped me control it.” Buck does a flourish with his hand, and adds, “And, uh, here we are.”
They’re something Eddie can’t shake about the story though, a fear lingering in his head. His mouth twists as he gathers the words, never wanting to offend Buck. “That woman that attacked you…is that…”
Buck waits for Eddie to continue.
“Have you ever done that?” He feels almost guilty for asking. But he needs to know.
Buck swallows. “No, I—uh. No. I haven’t. I really do have—control now. Or better at least.” Buck pauses, as if he's clearly considering his next words, then adds, “Um, and that wasn’t even, like, normal, for her probably. It was two days before a full moon. Everything kind of…dials up leading to that.”
Eddie nods.
“But really I'm not usually aggressive. I wouldn’t do that to—to you, or anyone here. I promise. Like, if someone tries to eat off of my plate, I’ll shove them away, maybe snap a bit, because it’s mine.”
“Wow, that does sound familiar,” Eddie says, keeping his tone light.
It breaks the tension that had welled up, and Buck chuckles. “Okay, yeah. The mug might’ve been a bit of that. But, yeah, I’m just kinda more extreme with my moods maybe? A little…hormonal if you will. I’m a little more hotheaded, or if I'm happy, I'm bouncing with excitement. If I’m horny—uh, you get the idea.”
An unexpected laugh is pulled out of Eddie. “Sounds…fun?”
Buck waggles his eyebrows, “Well, yeah, the last one kind of can be…” Buck laughs again. “But mostly it’s not that eventful anymore, when you’ve been through it as many times as I have. Just uh, part of my routine now.”
“Mm, yeah, totally. Just mundane, turning-into-a-werewolf stuff.”
“Exactly,” Buck says with a laugh, but as it dies off, he starts tapping his foot on the ground, an anxious little rhythm. “Uh, actually, I’ve been meaning to ask…Did you maybe wanna come watch next time?”
Eddie squints at him, confused.
Buck ducks his head, but there’s a small smile teasing his lips. “I mean—Bobby is a little concerned about my next moon. Like, he doesn’t want me to change alone, wants to make sure everything healed alright in that body too.” Buck is wringing his hands together. It’s almost shocking to Eddie, realizing that he’s nervous. He’s never seen Buck like this before, always parading around with bravado, loud, with his head held high. “And—and normally I’m pretty good at, like, changing outside the moon too? The week before and after at least, but he’s kind of banned it for me this month, because it’s more difficult, takes more energy. So I’m waiting until full moon night. And, yeah. I’m not supposed to be alone. So if you—if you wanted…”
Eddie’s eyebrows shoot up as he finally catches on to what Buck is asking. “Oh!”
Buck barrels on, “You’re under no obligation obviously, like, Bobby would be more than willing, I just thought, you might—”
“Yeah,” Eddie cuts in, putting Buck out of his misery. He surprises himself with how easy the answer came.
Buck still looks doubtful, lip caught between his teeth. “Yeah?”
Eddie reaches out to Buck on instinct, his hand landing on Buck’s shoulder. For comfort, to calm him down, to reassure him, because now that he’s committed to it, Eddie can already feel the excitement bubbling up for this. He’s not taking it back. He looks straight at Buck and nods, “Yeah, I can do that.”
Buck’s smile is blinding.
*
Eddie knocks on Buck’s door, feeling jittery and nervous, not quite sure what to expert from today. The sun has just set, an evening chill settling in the air. It’s about an hour before the full moon, which Buck had told him down to the minute. Eddie shuffles his feet on the doorstep as he waits, about to knock again when the door swings open. Buck is on the other side, decked out in sweats. His eyes light up when he sees Eddie, almost bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Hey! You’re here!”
“Of course. You worried I was gonna bail?”
Buck shrugs, cheeks slightly pink. “I don’t know. I hoped you wouldn’t.”
Eddie inexplicably feels his own face flush a bit under Buck’s gaze. He ignores it, making a move to step inside, but Buck steps forward instead, shutting the door behind himself. “Uh, sorry,” Buck says, moving out of Eddie’s way, “I thought we could eat outside? I’m feeling a little cooped up in there,” Buck says with a nod back to the cottage, holding up a cooler bag in his hand.
Buck leads them across the park, to the South enclosure viewing area where he takes a seat on one of the benches. Eddie joins him as he rifles around in his cooler bag, before emerging with two sandwiches and a beer he holds out to Eddie.
Eddie raises an eyebrow but takes the bottle.
“I thought you might be a little nervous. Just wanted to make you more at ease. You don’t have to, obviously, but...” Buck trails off as Eddie opens the bottle and downs a good third of it.
Eddie wipes his mouth. “Okay, yeah I’m a little nervous. Thank you.”
Buck laughs and hands him the sandwich too. “It’s not… you don’t have to be. I really, really, would not have invited you if there was anything you needed to worry about.”
“I know that,” Eddie says, blowing out a breath. “But it’s hard to tell my brain that when it keeps screaming, werewolf time! Fifty minutes! Especially when I’ve still barely wrapped my head around this.”
“Okay, well, let me take your mind off it. Let's talk about something else.” Buck takes a bite of his sandwich, chewing as he looks deep in thought. “Have you met Athena yet?”
Eddie squints at Buck. “Is that another wolf?”
Buck chokes on his next bite, and has a small coughing fit before he can regain his composure. “No, and don’t ever let her hear that. It’s Bobby’s wife. She works for animal control. I overheard them on the phone earlier today, bickering a bit. Athena had a call today, took in an animal and now can’t get rid of it, no shelters are able to take it right now, so she wants to bring it here. Bobby said ‘no’ like eight times. Before, obviously, caving.”
“Obviously,” Eddie says with a solemn nod. “Not a wolf I’m guessing?”
“You’d be correct. It’s a chicken.”
“A chicken?” Eddie feels the grin overtaking his face.
“A rooster, even. Tomorrow we will be home to one of the best retired cock fighters in California.”
“Oh my God,” Eddie says, laughing, “What the hell are we supposed to do with a rooster? Where’s it going? Who’s taking care of it?”
“Well,” Buck says, with a glint in his eye that tells Eddie he’s in for a quintessential Buck ramble. He’s become accustomed to it the past month. Honestly, he could listen to Buck talk all night, watching how excited he gets when he latches onto a topic, gesticulating all over the place.
It’s easy to get carried away from there, one story drifting into the next. Roosters become other non-wolf animals they've had at the sanctuary, which become that time Buck got sprayed by a skunk (“It’s not funny, I changed back to human and it stayed with me. I swear, I reeked for a month. And my sense of smell is way stronger.”).
By the time Buck is checking his watch and announcing he should get ready, it feels like hardly any time has passed at all.
Buck opens the enclosure gate and holds it for Eddie to pass through, but he hesitates. “You good? If it’s too much—”
“No. I just—” Eddie squeezes his eyes shut. He doesn’t panic, that’s not him. But there’s something stopping him, maybe the supernatural beings exist of it all is proving an exception. “I’m not saying I don’t trust you. I do. I wouldn't be here if I didn’t.”
“Hey, it’s okay. Why don’t you watch out here, and then—then you can come in when you’re ready.”
Eddie wets his lips, mouth gone dry sometime between the short walk from the benches to the gate. “Okay. Yeah. I think I just need a minute. And uh, see what I’m up against.” He means it as a joke, but it falls a bit flat with his nerves.
Bucks anyways, and steps inside, locking the gate behind him. “Of course. And if you never make it in, that’s totally fine too. You can do a visual check from out there.” Buck clears his throat and adds, “Okay, I'm gonna, you know…get naked now.”
Eddie flushes and immediately spins on his feet, facing away from the enclosure. “Right. Sorry. I’ll give you some privacy.”
He hears Buck laugh behind him, along with some rustling that must be him undressing. “Am I gonna have to talk to your back until I turn, now?”
“I guess!” Eddie throws his hands up. “I don’t know the protocol for this, you’re my first werewolf!”
Buck laughs again. “You’re sweet. Thank you for protecting my modesty.” There’s a bit of a teasing tone, but Eddie stays firmly facing away.
After a pause, he hears Buck speak, “Okay, it’s a minute away now. Um, it’s up to you obviously, but you can watch if you want. I give you my consent or whatever.”
“Is it…” Eddie had started talking before he even knew what he wanted to ask. What does it look like? Is it scary? Gross? He ends up landing on: “Does it hurt?”
“No. Or not as much anymore? It was bad, um, the first few months. But a lot of that was like, I had no idea what was even happening to me. It was like I was living a horror movie, watching my body change out of my control, no idea what was going on, and I was resisting every step of the way.” Eddie barely has time to register that, with quiet shock, before Buck rushes to explain, “I know what I’m doing now though. I wouldn’t say it feels good, like it’s not an orgasm,” Eddie’s eyebrows shoot up at the comparison, but Buck doesn’t seem to notice, barrelling on, “but it doesn’t feel bad either. It’s just something I do.”
“Oh. Okay.” He’s not sure how truthful Buck’s being, if he’s just downplaying it, or it really is the case. Eddie knows his fair share of the former, his own version of not bad. But Buck has rarely hid anything he feels, good or bad, it all plays out right on his face. “That’s good.” Eddie swallows against his dry throat. “I’ll watch.”
“Yeah?” Buck sounds almost surprised.
“Yeah.” Eddie needs to. For his own piece of mind. He’s already seen enough to know it’s real, he knows it’s real. But he needs to see it, to know how it happens, with his own eyes.
Eddie turns around and there Buck is, relaxed and bathed in moonlight, in all his human glory for a few more seconds at least. Eddie knows Buck is…athletic. In good shape. It’s not hard to notice as soon as you meet him, but, without clothes hiding anything—yeah. He’s very—maybe that’s a wolf perk too. Buck gives Eddie a warm smile, then looks up at the moon. “Okay, I’ll see you on the other side,” Buck says with a wink, and then it happens.
Eddie’s not sure what he was expecting, maybe that Buck was sugarcoating it for him, but instead, it’s exactly like he described it. Buck makes it look as easy as breathing. One inhale he was human, and by exhale, he had fallen into this new body, a large grey wolf standing before Eddie. It only took a matter of seconds, within a blink of an eye, and hardly any sound until the wolf had all four paws on the ground, looking back up at the moon to let out a magnificent howl.
Eddie watches, awestruck, unable to move. Finally, the wolf, Buck, is satisfied and turns his attention to Eddie. He walks towards the fence, as close as he can get to Eddie for now and stares. Tentatively, Eddie calls out, “Buck?”
The wolf’s ears perk up. He lets out a small whine as his tail wags excitedly. There’s no signs of immediate danger, and Eddie knows that Buck would’ve never asked this of him if that were a concern. But his pulse is still racing, and Eddie tries to keep his voice calm when he says, “Okay, okay. I’m gonna come in now. But can you just…back up a bit?” He gestures with his hands, unsure how much Buck is able to understand like this.
The wolf does take a few steps back though, bows his head and waits.
As he locks the gate behind him, Eddie reflects on how twice now, in under two months of working here, he’s put himself in this situation, entering the enclosure with no backup. But, werewolves were never in the manual.
He turns around and Buck is still in the same position, watching him. Eddie takes a breath and steps forward, slowly reaching his hand out, as if he’s introducing himself to a dog in a park and not his werewolf co-worker, who has incredibly sharp teeth right now. But Buck just nudges his nose into Eddie’s hand.
“Okay,” Eddie breathes out, “so you’re not trying to eat me, that’s a good sign.”
The wolf huffs against his palm, and licks at Eddie’s fingers. Eddie yanks his hand away, wiping it off on his jeans. “Ha ha, very funny.”
Nerves eased, Eddie can do a quick medical check, confirming everything seems normal. As normal as any of this could be, at least. Buck isn’t in distress or pain, as far as he can tell without verbal confirmation at least. He’ll double check in the morning, once Buck is speaking again, but nothing’s immediately concerning.
“I think you’re all good,” Eddie says as he stands. A happy yip from Buck is all the warning he gets before he’s tackled, breath knocked out of him as his back hits the cold ground. For one moment, the panic is back in full force until he feels a broad wolf tongue on his cheek, slobbering all over him.
“Jesus Christ,” Eddie says, shoving Buck away from his face, “of course you’re just an overgrown puppy. I really should not have expected anything else.”
Buck barks in response. “Dog breath too, oh my God, get off me,” Eddie says with a laugh, rolling out from under Buck and dusting himself off.
Buck, seemingly content with having knocked Eddie down and shown him affection, turns his attention elsewhere. Namely: the moon. He sits on his haunches and strikes up that classic image, howling up at the night sky. It only takes a moment for a chorus to start all around them. The other wolves, off in the forest and even in the South enclosure, all joining in, one by one.
When it dies down, Buck starts pacing in front of Eddie, busting with energy. “Okay, what now? You gonna go join your friends for the night? Find Shadow?” Buck keeps bouncing around, hopping from side to side in front of Eddie, like he’s unable to keep still. “Well go on then, you can go have fun. You got the okay from me.”
Buck leaps forward, nipping at Eddie’s sleeve, tugging him forward. Eddie laughs, “Me? I’m not—” Buck keeps tugging, unrelenting, with his tail wagging. “Okay, okay. Let’s go then. I’ll tag along.”
And that was all Buck needed before he lets go and bounds off deeper into the enclosure. Every few paces, stopping to make sure Eddie is still following. Eddie obliges, still a little awed, and hit with a strange deja vu—until he sees Buck veer toward the same direction Eddie rescued him from a month ago. “Hey! Not near the rocks though!”
Buck yips at him, and then bounds into the forest, Eddie chasing after him.
*
Eddie wakes up the next morning with his back against a tree, a gentle breeze along his face, and Buck’s firm, human grip on his shoulder.
“Hey,” Buck whispers. He’s crouched down next to Eddie, back in his sweatshirt and shorts he had abandoned the night before. “Sorry. You passed out on me around 3:00 AM. I should’ve told you you could've left.”
“S’all good,” Eddie says, wiping the sleep from his eyes. Buck stands up, removing his hand and taking all the warmth with it. Before Eddie has the chance to mourn the loss, Buck is reaching back down and pulling Eddie up alongside him. He runs his hands along Eddie’s arms, brushing off whatever dust and dirt he’s accumulated. Still groggy, Eddie lets it happen, enjoying the warmth. The words flow from him, no overthinking as his mind is still waking up. “Thanks for last night. Sharing that with me. I’m glad I got to see it.”
Buck smiles, the tips of his ears going red. It’s sweet, cute even. Not how he ever expected to describe a werewolf. “You were doing me the favor. Don’t switch it around.” Buck’s kept his focus as he looks Eddie over, not meeting his eyes. Finally, he gives himself a satisfied nod and steps back. “Let’s get you inside, and a nice hot cup of coffee.”
“Now you’re talking.”