Bucky reached out cautiously to pet the werewolf. He didn't want to startle Gwen, and he wasn't completely sure how much she was still in control when in wolf form. Getting bitten wasn't exactly on his priority list at the moment.
Bucky needn't have worried. Gwen gave him a puppy grin and butted her head against his hand, encouraging him to pet her super soft fur. Bucky grinned and sat on the floor. "You want to curl up in my lap?" He asked his werewolf. She immediately curled herself in his lap, waiting her tail. Bucky kissed her head and pet her, nuzzling her soft fur. He adored her wolf form and scratched her ears. Her tail wagged and Bucky smiled, recognizing it as the same as in her human form, though it was more proportioned in wolf form, just as her ears were more proportional.
Bucky petted her for awhile before he got her off his lap and stood to walk her to the outdoor training area so she could stretch her legs a little. "Come outside and play," he told her warmly. She lit up and scrambled to her feet, all excitement and wagging tail as she followed him.
The pair ran into a few of the others in the cafeteria on the way outside. Gwen whined and hid behind Bucky, afraid they wouldn't like her, or worse. She didn't need to be afraid. Nat automatically thought she was adorable and Steve instantly wanted to come over and pet her. Gwen stepped out from hiding behind Bucky and wasn't surprised when Loki was the first one to pet her. Bucky has said he liked wolves. "See? You're beautiful, even to them," Bucky reassured her. Her tail wagged and she let the team admire her for a minute before she nudged Bucky so they could continue on their way outside. Bucky chuckled. "Alright, alright, we're going," Bucky told her.
The wolf wanted to go play outside. She'd barely left the inside of the tower in weeks and there was a moon to go say hi too. So Bucky walked with her, and opened the door to the training yard so she could go play.
The second she was outside she sat and stared up at the moon for a moment before she howled a greeting to it. Her song was echoed by dogs and wolves all over and possibly even a few coyotes. She sniffed and explored the outdoor training area, bouncing back to Bucky every so often to check on him. Bucky sat on a bench, just watching her, glad she was happy.
He patted his thigh to call her and she bounded back over to him and sat in front of him, swishing her tail, her head tilted in question. Was he ok? Or bored? Bucky stood and scooped her up, cradling her like a baby. She squeaked in surprise. Just because she was small for a werewolf didn't mean she was small enough to be picked up. She also wasn't used to being picked up in this form and it was a strange feeling.
Bucky could handle her, though and walked with her in his arms over to the gazebo in the yard. He set her down and pressed a button inside the gazebo. It lit up with white and blue lights. She got her bearings again after being set down and looked around at the pretty lights, wagging her tail appreciatively.
Bucky gave her a warm smile. "I built this for us, I was going to show it to you tomorrow night. But I couldn't wait," he explained. She yipped happily and licked his cheek. "I still have more work to do, adding a couple of benches and pillows and such, but it'll be a space just for us." She gave him a puppy grin and wagged her tail before she went to explore their little gazebo. Bucky had built it all with his bare hands, his own sweat and hard work. Steve had been glad to see his friend out of depression while he worked on his project.
Gwen bounced around the little gazebo happily and returned to him to lick his cheeks, her tail wagging. Bucky sat on the steps, petting her. She snuggled in his arms with a contented sigh and Bucky was content with the mutual silence.
She sniffed the air, scenting something interesting and bounded off after whatever it was. Bucky watched, but wasn't concerned in the contained yard. She came back looking extraordinarily proud of herself, two rabbits in her mouth, dangling from their ears. She wagged her tail and offered them to him, trying to feed him, despite that he might not appreciate her offering. He chuckled, instead. He'd cooked a lot wildlife in the army and didn't turn down food, especially from a werewolf. He took both and would take them to the chef in the tower to fix into something later.
She wagged her tail, happy he had accepted her offering. He would have it fixed up into a stew, then that would be their dinner for a private date night in the gazebo. Bucky told his plan to the werewolf, who wagged her tail in agreement. Bucky rubbed noses with her, not caring that hers was wet and cold.
She gave him a wolfish noise that sounded like a giggle. Then she spotted the ball under one of the seats in the gazebo. She nosed it out and trotted over to him with it, dropping it in his lap He was surprised, but gave in and threw it. She barked happily and bounded off after it. She wanted to run and chase and this was a safe way to do that, especially with a human around. She brought the ball back to him and carefully dropped it into his metal hand. She was oh so careful in this form that her teeth end up nowhere near his flesh, no matter how innocently. Bucky bounced the ball off the ground, watching her jump for it. She could jump incredibly high and caught the ball, bringing it back to him again. She was having fun, he had accepted her in wolf form and she was safe and happy.
She eventually bounded back over to him and laid the ball aside, breathing heavily and laid beside him on the step, her head in his lap. Her fur was so soft and lovely. She was small for a werewolf, but no less beautiful. He scratched her back and belly and she sighed contently, her tail wagging lazily, one happy contented werewolf.
They were interrupted when Bucky's stomach rumbled. She snorted a wolf laugh and sat up, nudging him to go eat something "Gosh, you're so bossy." He mock whined. He took the rabbits and went to the cafeteria. He did as planned for preparation for them then got a raw steak for Gwen and fried chicken for himself. He set the plate of steak on the floor next to his chair and she happily ate her treat after licking his hand in appreciation. "You deserve it, you brought me food earlier."
She yipped and licked his hand again. Loki chuckled. "She said you still could've made her hunt her own dinner," he informed Bucky. Bucky knew about Allspeak and wasn't surprised when Loki could understand werewolf.
"Yeah, well we don't have much to hunt within the fence."
She snorted and Loki laughed. "Sassy little wolf" he teased her warmly and ruffled her fur.
Bucky had a sense of what she'd said and paled. "What? You want me to run and you chase me?" He asked her
She wrinkled her nose and shook her head firmly. That was a dangerous train of thought. "No," Loki clarified. "She simply said that she managed to hunt dinner for you even with the sparse hunting out there,"
"She could have eaten them," Bucky said, not understanding what Loki and Gwen were getting at.
Loki rolled his eyes. "She brought them for you. A gift of food. It's important to werewolves," he told his friend while Gwen returned to her steak happily.
Bucky laughed. "She knew that I'd be hungry. She wasn't wrong."
"Of course not. Wolves are intelligent creatures," Loki replied fondly and sat on the floor next to the wolf, petting her fur. He really did like wolves.
"Why didn't you become your wolf form and run around with her?" Bucky asked curiously.
"Because you would be jealous" Loki replied easily, surprised Bucky wasn't yelling at him already for petting the werewolf, though Loki was pointing out all of the spots she loved having scratched.
"No, not after earlier. Regardless of gender," Bucky reassured his friend. He wouldn't be jealous of Loki, who had been nothing but helpful for once. Sarcastic as fuck, but helpful. "Unless you try to fuck her," he amended. He couldn't accept that level of betrayal from his friend.
Loki rolled his eyes. "Not going to happen," he glanced at the wolf. "No offense, but not interested. Besides, even I'm not rude enough to go after my friend's girl,"
Bucky nudged Loki. "What about Lokitty? Lo is great for cuddling."
Loki raised an eyebrow "What about Lokitty? If you think he should play with the werewolf, I will inform you that that would be suicide and I do not wish to die today," Loki scoffed.
"She's docile, don't act like she's going to eat you." Bucky teased.
"Werewolves, like normal wolves, do not like cats" Loki informed him dryly. But with a shimmer of green magic, he was in wolf form and the entire team was upset a moment later when the two wolves were playing and chasing each other around the cafeteria. Luckily werewolves weren't prone to shedding. And Loki never shed. However knocking over tables and teammates was something the two wolves were plenty capable of doing.
And did before anyone could stop them.
Loki knocked Tony into a giant container of pudding somehow while he and Gwen were playing. No one quite believed it was accidental. Tony was covered in tapioca pudding and was not happy about it. Loki went to check on him and and sniffed Tony before he licked some of the dessert off of him. Loki had a weakness for sweets.
Gwen snorted a wolfish laugh, amused until Tony roared. "Go run outside!!" He was disgusted at being covered in pudding. Gwen squeaked and hid next to Bucky.
Bucky pulled Loki back too. He was in protective mode. "It was an accident. Don't yell at her."
Loki growled as he was pulled back by the scruff of the neck. Just because Gwen couldn't bite Tony didn't mean he couldn't. Bucky knew that was something Loki would do. "Lo, don't do it. He's not worth it."
Loki huffed and grumbled, but relented. He nudged Gwen and gestured with his head back to the outdoor training area. They could go play outside. Bucky watched them go outside, noting that Gwen's head was lowered, her tail tucked between her legs while Loki escorted her protectively outside.
Bucky turned to Tony and glared. "She'll never go near you again in wolf form. Be lucky if she doesn't avoid you all together." Then he walked out to follow the wolves, hoping that Gwen wasn't too broken by Tony's yelling.