packs aren't always of the same species (a WayHaught au)

thanks for everything

After everything that happened in the last few days - weeks, the wolf seemed to grow almost unbearably protective of you. She saw firsthand how the whole kidnapping/torture ordeal affected you, so you couldn't really fault her. Whether you were willing to admit it or not, you needed her comfort and protection every once in a while. In a way, it grounded you and without her, you'd be stuck dealing with it on your own, you didn't want to have to bother Wynonna, or even Dolls, with it. You didn't really want to think about what being alone would be like. You're not sure you'd be able to handle it.

She physically felt every emotion you did, your memories are her memories and vice versa - if she decides to share them with you, that is. You kind of felt guilty that she had to constantly go through that. But you felt her pain too. Her concern for your well-being, her exhaustion, her almost mother-bear-protecting-her-cub tendencies. Her approval of the people in the room. Her warmth trying to envelope you, telling you to trust them. You were skeptical, but she was usually right about most things. ('Usually' as in, you couldn't remember a time where she was ever wrong, but you didn't think you could handle her being that smug if you mentioned it.)

You found out Jeremy was the "crazy smart lab guy with a thing for mustaches and older dudes", Rosita was "shit with a gun, but could blow you up with nothing more than a handful of household items after making you a drink so good you'd come back from the dead just to get another", and Doc AKA John Henry (you're still not really sure why they call him Doc) could "shoot a hair off a horses ass without so much as a whinny from it and then take every last possession you owned in a single game of poker".

AKA the Nerd Herd, according to Wynonna. She introduced you as "the only Haughtdog with a better set of buns than Oscar Mayer's wiener", earning her a smack on her arm from Waverly and a glare so powerful you're almost positive it's brought men to their knees. You found yourself snickering at the look on Wynonna's face. Not many people have been able to put Wynonna in her place and it proved to be just as entertaining as you thought it'd be.

They didn't seem like bad people. Dolls trusted them for Pete's sake and they all seemed to accept you for who you were, which you couldn't make a fuss about. Jeremy didn't really know when to keep his mouth shut, but he spoke his mind and wasn't afraid to get caught up in talking about something he loved and you envied him for that. Rosita seemed nice enough, if not a bit standoffish at first, but she eventually let her walls down a bit more here and there. Doc was quiet and you liked his hat and as if that wasn't enough, he got incredibly talkative and was just turned into the biggest pile of mush the more whiskey he consumed (which happened to be almost as much as you at one point).

But when you went to recount your side of the story, you couldn't get it out, not at first anyway. You knew it had a lot more to do with you than with the people in front of you. The wolf agreed.

Wynonna suggested more whiskey and you didn't exactly refuse. You vaguely acknowledged the wolf protesting in the back of your head - and Waverly might have said something as well - but you took the offered bottle anyway and took a few large gulps, wincing at the taste on your tongue and the burn down your throat. Wynonna passed around another to the others, leaving that bottle with you.

It took you a minute, but you were finally able to tell your side of the story, starting with your patrol that morning two weeks ago, while Waverly and Jeremy took notes and Dolls recorded the whole thing on a pocket-sized tape recorder just in case either of them missed something. Wynonna looked like she wanted to be anywhere else and you felt the wolf's need to reach out to her, comfort her. You could practically smell the anxiety radiating from her. As much as she tried to be a hardass, you knew Wynonna felt a lot and she kept a lot of those feelings inside, especially now that her sister was here. She was trying to be strong and unaffected. But, her eyes were like windows and as much as you hated to admit it, you could sense every emotion she was trying to hide. You couldn't imagine the toll of walking in to finding you like she did, even more guilt pressing into the recesses of your mind the longer you watched her.