Chapter Text
David’s head spun. He was sore. So very, very sore. And tired.
It was real. It was all true. He’d transformed into a werewolf. A murderous beast, a terrifying creature of the night that would murder people... and now he was coming back around.
He was horrified, unable to help but imagine the carnage he must have caused. He was a monster. People would be dead, blood on his hands. All because he didn’t listen to his dead best friend...
“And that was Billie Holiday and Blue Moon...”
He remembered the transformation. It had hurt. It had hurt so, so much, his bones cracking and breaking and stretching, painful in a way he could never have imagined. He remembered nothing else, only the pain and then unconsciousness.
“You are listening to BBC Radio One...”
At least he hadn’t had to watch. Hadn’t had to see himself tear people apart.
“Bringing you your favourite hits, this Thursday night.”
David hated himself. He should have killed himself. He should have listened to Jack, he should have-
“And now, Rod Stewart with...”
Wait.
Thursday night.
Impossible. That was last night. The night he-
Oh no.
Oh HELL no.
David twitched, throbbing, eyes gumming open and popping with stars. He recognised Alex’s flat. The radio crackled nearby, way too fucking loud to be normal.
No... please...
He tried to get up. It hurt.
Anything but THAT...
David planted one hand on the floor. The other followed. He hefted himself up with a crack of cartilage and inspected his hands.
Not hands. Paws. With black fur and vicious, killing claws.
It took the fully-transformed David several moments to realise and understand his predicament. And then he tried to scream.
...
“*JESUS CHRIST*”
“Well.”
“*JESUS FUCKING CHRIST*”
“That’s not supposed to happen.”
David made horrific inhuman noises in his very sudden and very acute distress, brand new paws padding around as he snarled gibberish.
The ghost of his departed friend Jack Goodman, who had been torn open by another werewolf the previous month, frowned with what was left of his face as he watched David stagger drunkenly about. “.... dude, what the fuck”
“*HELP ME*”
Jack raised a finger and tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Yeah I gotta be honest, this really shouldn’t be happening right now.”
“*FOR GOD’S SAKES HELP ME*”
Jack tutted. “I’m a ghost, dumbass! What do you want me to do, haunt you back to normal??”
“*FUCK YOU JACK*”
Jack set his hands on his hips. “Well, that’s just rude!”
“*FUCK YOU SO HARD-*” The newly-minted werewolf paused in his frantic scrambling and snapped his attention fully onto the vision of his friend. “*Wait... you can hear me??*”
Jack shrugged. “Apparently. I mean we ARE kinda linked through weird fucked-up dark magic bullshit.” The decomposing corpse-man frowned as he inspected David’s transformed body. “Huh. Ug-ly.”
David decided he gave no fucks that his dead best friend understood him and flopped back to the floor, both front paws smacking over his face as he released a miserable and horrible moan. “*WHY*”
Jack watched his friend wallow in misery and set himself down in a chair. “Beats me, buddy.”
“*WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME*”
“Wow, where do you want me to start??” Jack scoffed, raising his feet and planting them on David’s improbably hairy back, “Should I get the list?”
David rose and shook his friend off with a snarl. “*PISS OFF, JACK!*”
“Woah, down boy!” Jack chuckled, wearing half a grin on half a face. “This is great.”
David flashed vicious teeth and growled. “*Are you KIDDING ME??? THIS IS THE WORST THING EVER. I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS.*”
“No, no! David! Don’t you see??” Jack leaned forward and positively beamed, the torn flesh of his corpse-face jiggling with the motion, “this is perfect!”
David cocked his head, suddenly confused at the genuine nature of his friend’s relief. “*What in God’s name are you talking about??*”
“Look! This is a golden opportunity!” Jack said excitedly, “you’re still conscious! You’re still you! You can kill yourself without being a threat to others! This is the perfect time to end it for good! .... David what are you doing.”
David wasn’t listening, too busy twisting and turning and trying to look back and inspect his altered form. “*Oh God... oh Jesus Christ...*” He grunted and huffed, very much unable to form human words, “*I feel so weird*”
“Course you feel weird dumbass, you turned into a giant dog. Now you gonna listen to me or what?”
David apparently wasn’t, yellow eyes scanning frantically as his anxiety kicked back in. “*Oh God... oh fuck... I gotta get outta here! I can’t let Alex see me like this!*”
Jack raised a finger. “But... you CAN let the entire city of fucking London see you?”
“*Go FUCK yourself, Jack!*” David backed up, awkwardly navigating the confined space and unfamiliar with his new body, “*I’m getting the fuck out of here!*”
Jack watched, somewhat amused as his friend wobbled about like a big puppy. “And go where, David? Going on walkies?”
“*FUCK YOU*”
The ghoul watched his werewolf friend stagger off, and released an irritated sigh. “Stupid mutt.”
...
“*Okay... okay... breathe, Kessler. Just breathe.*” David grunted to himself wordlessly, desperately shuffling his hairy mass into his hiding spot. There was a park not far from Alex’s flat, and he had bolted there after managing to paw open a window. Now he occupied the space beneath a bush, attempting to make himself comfortable for the night. “*You’re still you, you don’t want to kill anyone, this is fine. This is just fine. Everything is groovy.*” His ears twitched at the sound of voices, a car door closing, and he watched as a young (and very drunk) couple wandered through the park, utterly oblivious to his presence. He grunted and lowered his head onto his forelimbs, quietly watching as they went off on their way.
“Hey David.”
“*FUCK*” David jumped in alarm and snarled, finding Jack laying beside him and watching the couple go off into the night, “*THE FUCK, JACK???*”
“Ah, young love...” Jack mused, leaning on his side and gesturing with his free hand, “Makes me nostalgic, you know? From when I was alive. That was good times.”
David huffed and glared at his friend. “*Don’t sneak up on me like that! You scared the shit out of me, man!*”
Jack shrugged. “Just go, dude. It’s a park, you’re a dog, what’s the problem?” Jack smirked as David gave him an unimpressed bark, and he raised his hands. “Chill, my man! Look on the bright side, at least you’re not prowling around the city eating people! I mean, who wants to see that?”
David glared at his friend before ignoring him, turning back to set his chin on his forelimbs and glower into the empty park.
“So, what’s the plan David?” Jack said, lazily lounging on his side and playing with a flap of his skin, “any idea what you’re gonna do next?”
David huffed. “*I’m going to stay right here under this bush and not move until sunrise and then when I change back, I’m going right back to the flat. That’s the plan.*”
“Oh I assumed that. I meant with the whole werewolf thing in general.”
David didn’t ‘reply’, himself considering that problem. “*How the fuck should I know, man?*”
Jack ran a hand over his friend’s head and smirked. “You could kill yourself? End your life and the curse with it?”
David shook his head, glaring at the corpse-man. “*Don’t touch me! And no, I am NOT killing myself!!!”
Jack raised his eyebrow, giving David a judgemental look. “The curse HAS to end, David!”
“*There has to be a cure...*” David grumbled to himself, shifting into a more comfortable position in the dirt, “*There has to be...*”
“A cure?? For a thousand-year-old curse???” Jack laughed, seemingly almost enjoying himself as he looked over David’s hairy, agitated form. “Yeah I’m sure they hand them out at the drug store.”
David growled. “*You are REALLY pissing me off, Jack.*”
“ooh, scary!” Jack grinned wide, the skeletal half of his face exaggerating the expression, “don’t get too angry David... you know what happens to dogs that bite!”
David felt the urge to snarl at his friend... but he was able to bite it back, and just set his head down again. He huffed, shifting on his belly and tucking his limbs beneath his bulk a little more.
Okay. It was okay. He didn’t hurt anymore, he was still himself, he’d hide out here and change back in the morning and then get back into the flat somehow and it would all be hunky-dory.
“So,” Jack spoke up again, idly flicking at a twig, “how you feeling about that whole ‘killing yourself and breaking the curse’ thing?”
“*Fuck off and die, Jack.*”
“Right back at you, Wolf-Putz.”