prophesied wanderings

[her_imperial_radiance]

Time passes. Well before Zeus's thirteenth birthday, he looks human-25, and then he stops, and Harley catches up; Zeus is still taller, but not by much, and burlier, but not by much.

Wolves have a lot of casual sex amongst themselves; the girl wolves can't get pregnant, and with pack telepathy it would be pretty hard to hide a secret crush. Everyone avoids getting serious - well, the lesbians don't, but any couple involving a male wolf has to avoid deep emotional entanglements that would shatter if he imprinted; the Imperial Seer helps, but she is not perfect and they will live for long enough that even a slim chance adds up. But casual sex absolutely happens. Zeus has a friend with benefits by the time he's fifteen (her name is Kitty, but she thinks this is ridiculous, and prefers "Xanthe" after her yellow fur).

He helpfully passes on to the pack that Harley thinks they are all hot; several people take advantage of this information, and Harley has more than one friend with benefits at the age of fifteen.

(Meanwhile, the masquerade is in tatters; wolves are just more convenient than looking for human partners, at least until Zeus decides he's interested in the Seer finding him a suitable imprint.)

This newfound interest does not mean Zeus and Harley don't hang out, even now that they're both sixteen. Presently, Harley is getting his ass handed to him by his wolf-reflexed sparring partner at a mo-cap fighting video game entitled Bloodsport V.

Comments

[pythbox]

A few days later, Harley finds Elsie, hugs her, and announces, "I want a pentagon."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"All right," she says, and she reaches into her coin-sorter for a pentagon in the Joker's colors. "I hope you're being thoughtful about how you're going to use it."

[pythbox]

"Pff," says Harley, hugging her again.

He takes the pentagon. He wishes on it.

He twirls around happily, showing off his lovely new body.

[her_imperial_radiance]

Elspeth laughs. "Aren't you pretty."

[pythbox]

"I am! I'm the prettiest," he says gleefully.

[Hey Zeus, guess what!]

[alicornucopia]

[Uuum... what?] asks Zeus, who is very creative but never knows what to do with that question.

[pythbox]

[I have booooooobs,] he giggles. [Come look at them!]

[alicornucopia]

[Pff. Sure, incoming.]

[her_imperial_radiance]

Elspeth pats Harley on the head - this requires jumping, now, but she's more than up to it - and says, "I have some work to do; I'll be home in a couple of hours," and she teleports away.

[alicornucopia]

Zeus lets himself into the house a moment later.

[pythbox]

Harley beams at him.

He came out more on-type than other Jokers tend to when they swap sex; his face has barely changed, and he doesn't quite have the Joker's magnificent hourglass figure. But he is, nevertheless, very pretty.

[alicornucopia]

Zeus sure seems to think so.

(you are the center of the universe and I worship the ground you walk on and your wish is my command and I will defend you with my life)

"Harley," he says, unusually soft and hoarse, "uh," he continues, and finally he settles on "please please don't freak out?"

[pythbox]

Harley blinks. "...About what?"

[alicornucopia]

Zeus sits down heavily on the nearest available chair. "Um," he says, not taking his eyes off Harley's face. "I think I. Um."

[pythbox]

Harley looks down at his lovely new body.

"...Oh," he says. "Oh. Wow, I did not think of that at all."

[alicornucopia]

"I'm sorry. Should I be sorry? I don't know if I actually am," says Zeus anxiously.

[pythbox]

"You don't have to be sorry! I might have to be sorry, that would be a new experience," laughs Harley. "I mean - I don't know - you're my best fluffy buddy and I love you, I'm not, like, mad. I just - has this ever even happened before? What happens if I change back? Would you explode, I don't want you to explode, I like you!"

He is now turning in anxious little circles and waving his hands expressively.

[alicornucopia]

"I'm - pretty sure I don't explode?" says Zeus. "Wolfsplosions are usually just - the furry kind. I don't think this has ever happened before but one or two imprints have had, like - hysterectomies - and their wolves are still imprinted."

[pythbox]

"Wow."

Harley sits down on the floor and hugs Zeus's leg.

[alicornucopia]

Zeus smiles at him, half ordinary fluffy-buddy smile and half new warm imprint-face smile, and pets his hair.

[pythbox]

"I love you," sighs Harley, resting his head on Zeus's knee.

[alicornucopia]

"I love you too."

[pythbox]

Snuggle.

"...Hey, does that mean you want to make out with me now?" he wonders.

[alicornucopia]

"That sounds awesome," agrees Zeus. "I mean, if we're not treating me as though I'm drunk off my ass on consent-warping magic, or anything."

[pythbox]

"You kind of are, but you're not going to not be," says Harley. "So you might as well - not be. You know?"