Chapter Text
I had gone out scouting hours ago, needing to cool my head after I'd had a particularly bad outburst.
I couldn't blame James for telling me to kick rocks, it couldn't have been pleasing seeing me act so....differently from the usual Stevie.
I mean, sure, I was a spitfire. But I didn't usually try to bite someone's head off for grazing James's arm. Which was an unfortunate, unprecedented side effect of the super serum turning me into a crazed, overly protective cat-woman with the power to throw cars.
I'd probably see it as something bad if not for the fact that I could actually jog for longer than 2 minutes without having a heart attack.
It also helps with nazi killing, so I guess that's a win too.
But just because it was mostly beneficial, doesn't mean it isn't a problem.
The super soldier serum didn't just increase my physical capabilities or my senses. Everything about me was enhanced from my love of art, my protective nature for anyone who couldn't stand up for themselves, and my feelings for Ja-
Blood.
As I approached my campsite, I could smell blood.
My eyes narrowed, a growl rising in my throat.
I looked at my campsite, vision clear like water, even when I was nearly a mile away.
It was an abandoned church, one that turned into a shelter until eventually they had to run away.
And as I observed it, I noticed footprints leading into the entrance.
They were bare and big. With deep indents where the toes should be, signifying that this man, or what looked like one, had long, curled, sharp toenails.
With every print, I could smell old, rotting blood, but it was so deep and abundant that it was obvious to me that this "man" was covered head to toe in it.
He smelt like a chainsmoking warthog, with hints of ash and oil. There was something deeply animalistic about it, like a monster had torn free from its cage, slaughtered its would-be tamer, and stalked miles across a desolate, war-torn landscape to try and get away.
There was so much in just his scent, like a history book had been opened to me.
But I became distracted, because there was a fresher scent of blood, and I knew who it belonged to.
'James!'
I rushed forward, feet leaving craters in the ground as I approached the entrance in seconds.
As I got closer, I heard it, the sound of snarling and teeth tearing through meat.
I slowed, not wanting the beast to hear me, crouching low and sneaking in, shield held tightly to my chest.
I rounded a corner and saw Jaques, gun hoisted up, sitting on the floor leaning against the door frame, holding his finger to his lips to shush me.
I nodded and snuck slower, seeing other members of my squad in similar positions.
I followed the last hall to find Jones and Pinkerton guarding the door to where we slept; They also weren't movin', but were still locked n' loaded.
I nodded to them too and looked into the room.
And front and center, was the problem, rooting through a bag full of rations, with a filthy uniform over his shoulders, and tall, nearly razor sharp hair, was a small, overly hairy man covered in scars.
He was just munching away, the fat bastard. But I couldn't even say that, his body was lined with muscle, he was nearly tearin' through his darn' shirt!
But then I took another sniff and realized that the smell of James's blood was the thickest in here.
I fully stood in the doorway and slowly looked to the left.
And on the floor with a bite mark in his arm, blood just flowin' out like a fuckin' faucet
.....
Was James.
This-
This no good, dirty, muck-covered, warthog-smellin', fuckin' mutt-
Had bit MY James!?
My fist clenched around the grip of my shield, and the beast twitched as he heard the tightening of leather.
He placed his meal down and stood.
A growl rose in my throat.
All he did was look back at me sharply, eyes like 2 slits, burning with intensity; They were the same that burned in mine.
"You need sumthin' bub? Cause' I'll tell ya' right now that if ya' don't drop that iron on yer' arm...
You'll lose it."
I didn't even respond.
All I heard was a threat- a challenge.
I threw my shield forward and chased after it; If he were a normal man, that shield would have knocked his head off without giving him a chance of dodging it.
But instead, he ducked underneath it and jumped at me like a spear.
Now, if I were a normal woman, that tackle would have torn me in half, but instead, I barely moved.
Barely 2 seconds had passed, and it had already shown signs that neither of us was normal.
But I was even less so.
I raised my knee into his chest, and I heard bones shatter as he lifted off into my hands, as I grabbed him by the back of his head.
My arm gripped him tightly as I turned him around and threw him forward into my returning shield, the rebound so powerful that it still returned to my hand even after it sent the beast sprawling over on his back.
Now, a normal man would have been in too much pain to move his head out of the way of my descending boot.
But again, he was pretty fucking weird.
Because if his rolling out of the way wasn't weird enough, the 3 razor Sharp bone claws popping out of his knuckles definitely were.
'What the fu- OH SHIT HE'S FAST!'
If I had reacted a millisecond slower, I'd have lost my eyes.
The beast was small, but quick. Its claws cutting through the air like a bullet.
I kept him away with a kick just to knock off his balance, but lost my own when he caught it, and stabbed me through the thigh!
"AGH-"
Before I could even finish my scream, his hand latched onto my mouth, practically yanking my jaw out of the socket, but before he could pull my head into his claws, the arm holding my shield snapped up, and snapped his in two.
I swung my shield around lightning fast, and shoved it into the top of his head, nearly slicing through his eye.
His eyes rolled back, and I shoved my clawed hands into his chest, hauling him into the air once more and throwing him back with a mighty yell. His form disappearing through a wall, dust and debris covering his corpse as he landed.
I huffed in relief, lightly stomping my injured leg, testing it as it rapidly healed.
I turned and walked towards James, my tensed shoulders relaxing as the battle ended.
"Stevie! Y'gotta stop!"
He yelled, eyes trailing behind me.
That bastard really musta' scared 'im.
"S' alright, James! We're safe now-"
"Stevie, ya don't get it!
He....He ain't dead."
*Crk*
I heard behind me a familiar sound, one I was acquainted with personally.
The sound of bones knitting back together.
I swerved around, shield held high, watching as the beast in human form stood in the hole in the wall, teeth long and sharp, drool dripping from his maw, back hunched over, legs coiled, and claws at his side.
He didn't even look injured.
"All you did was piss em' off.
B-but you ain't gotta tussle with im', this is all a big-"
"James"
I shut him down and didn't move from my spot.
I didn't know what this guy was, whether he was another super soldier, some sort of monster, or a demon straight from hell.
But I knew one thing.
"Move. Now"
He picked the wrong era to be born in.
The beast lunged at me with a roar, and he was even faster than before, sprinting forward on all fours, like an animal.
I threw my shield once more and jumped after. Spinning through the air, I tried to land a kick. But with his bare hands, he used my momentum against me, swinging my entire mass around, locating me alternatively so that my own shield slammed into the back of my head on its rebound.
I was sent sprawling over his shoulder, and he yanked me forward, body slamming me into the ground and mounting me quickly after.
I tried to catch his hand before he killed me, but his bone claws went straight through, just barely hanging over my eye.
I bit back a scream and clenched my punctured hand, snapping the beast's wrist in half. But it barely affected him! And as he slashed his other hand over, I just barely leaned out of the way, returning the favor by carving out his eyes with my free and clawed hand.
He yelled out in agony, and I raised my leg to kick him offa' me.
And before he could rise, I leaped forward and bit down on his shoulder, just underneath his neck, and used my hands to hold him down.
Slowly, I dragged him up with just my teeth and little support from my arms. Then I swung the little bastard with nothing but my jaw muscles. Just not before he got a swipe at me on my shoulder.
I took a step back to heal, and he was up doing the same thing not a moment later.
If I were gonna put this beast down, I'd have to rip him to shreds.
See if he could heal from THAT!
I didn't even acknowledge my shield. I just charged forward, and he did the same.
I slashed into his face again.
He stabbed me in the stomach.
I ripped his throat out.
He nearly decapitated me.
I kicked him through another wall.
He nearly punched through my chest.
The battle descended into a blood-fueled dance, and we just kept tearing pieces out of each other.
I wouldn't back down for shit, but I was getting tired.
But not physically exhausted, mentally!
Cause' this short ass honey badger man won't STAY THE FUCK DOWN!?
I've thrown everything I had at him, I've literally bitten pieces out of him, and he STILL won't die!?
His healing factor is better than mine. I couldn't even survive half the shit I was doing to him.
So what the hell is he!?
At some point, we just had to take a breather.
I was exhausted, panting, sweatin', the whole 9 yards. And so was he.
But we both know we could go for hours, maybe even days, and not get tired.
But it was inefficient.
I had more important shit to do than try and kill a fuckin' immortal. This was a waste of time.
'Though to be fair, I don't know if he's ACTUALLY immortal. So if I could just cut his head off...'
My eyes darted towards my shield, and for once in this entire debacle, I smiled
'Maybe that'd do it.'
But just as we were about to re-enter the fray, someone jumped in front of us like an idiot!
"STEVE!
STOP!"
Of course, it was my idiot.
"James, get outta the-"
"No! Stevie, ya' gotta listen.
This jackass ain't hurt me!"
My eyes slowly trailed down to the bite mark on his arm. And he followed them, sucking his teeth and shoving his arm into my face, with his other arm holding my shoulder and rubbing it soothingly.
"Steve the man was starvin'!
You could see his ribs stickin' through his skin. So we brought the poor bastard in, and he musta' smelt food, cause he shoved right past all o' us like a buncha school children and went for the rations."
"James, that don't explain the bite mark in your-"
"It ain't a bit mark!
I tripped on one of our packs and landed on a bottle when he was rushing to get the food. He pushed me aside when I tried stoppin' him.
You can still see the glass in my skin!"
He said, and I looked closer....And damnit, he was tellin' the truth.
Cause' in his arm I could see the slight glimmering glass, with the small of one of Pinkerton's tiny bottles o' Whiskey wafting offa them.
The type of liquor that even makes me feel a slight buzz....After 30 of 'em.
But even though I knew that this guy didn't hurt James intentionally, it didn't change the fact that he just went blow for blow with one of the only super soldiers on the planet...and nearly killed him several times in 20 minutes.
I urged James to move aside and took a few steps across the room to stand a few feet away from the beast in human skin.
I stared at him critically.
He stared at me critically.
I stayed silent for a moment before asking my questions.
"You Italian?"
I asked curtly
He was silent
"....No"
".... German?"
"....no"
".....Well, I know you're not Japanese, unless...?"
My icebraker worked, as the beast- the man, chuckled, and sheathed his claws slowly.
"Didn't see the shield till' I hit ya with it. But I know ya', Cap"
I responded in kind and took a more casual stance as we began to talk.
"I feel like I woulda' heard o' you eventually, you being a super soldier and all..."
"Don't got a word for what I am, Captain.
Just a man who's the best he is at what he do.
Except what he do...Ain't very nice"
I nodded at his words, and I could relate.
This job wasn't a very good one, but I mean....I get to kill nazis, so it isn't the WORST thing either.
"Hm, neato.
Listen, you seem like a 'swell' guy, Mr...?"
"Names James Howlett
My corp started callin' me the 'Wolverine'"
"That cause you smell like one?"
"Close, but no.
It was cause I was too short to be a bear, so they said they'd promote me into one when I 'grew up'"
"Snrk!"
OK, I know I tried to kill this guy a few minutes ago, but he's hilarious!
And him being named James was definitely playing in his favor.
"You're alright, Wolverine.
Listen, we'll help you get back to wherever the hell you're supposed to be later.
Stick with the howling Commandos for a few days, and we've got your back.
.....Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta either clean this place up, or-"
I was cut off as a piece of the roof fell down with a loud crash.
".....Find a new campsite.
Damn, and this place had great insulation too..."
I turned around to address my squad, as I was sure they were still as terrified as they were before. Still don't quite know why they were all so pressed about me being quiet when I got here, but James probably hadn't explained EVERYTHING that happened before I got back.
Thankfully, Howlett didn't seem like a complete piece o' shit, cause if he was....
Well, I wasn't too sure if I could kill him.
"Hey, Captain"
I turned to Howlett as he spoke, and watched as he turned away from me and picked a thing of Jerky off the floor.
"My friends call me 'Logan'"
"....Call me Steve"
"Good to meet ya' bub."
"....Yeah, you too."
TO BE CONTINUED!