Moon Song
Epilogue

It was nearing full moon again; the first since their kidnapping, and John wasn't entirely sure what to do about it. The song seemed louder in his blood than ever before and the change in his and Sherlock's relationship meant it was going to be that much harder for the Wolf to keep away, but he couldn't help but feel cautious at the thought of showing someone the change. He had only shown someone on purpose once before, and it hadn't ended well. It had been a stupid, foolish mistake, but John had been hurt by it nonetheless and it had made him much more wary of other people than he had been before. The time with Lestrade hadn't counted in his mind, if only because it was so fleeting and Greg hadn't been able to get a proper look at It. Sherlock seemed to sense a shift in John's mood, but didn't bring it up, much to his relief.

On the night of the full moon, they ordered in curry and sat on the sofa, watching meaningless telly. John was leaning against Sherlock's shoulder as he ate and Sherlock had tentatively placed an arm around him, keeping it there when John made an encouraging noise and did nothing to move it. He appreciated Sherlock's attempt at 'cuddling', and tried not to let the Wolf take control and chuck Itself across Sherlock's lap.

The programs on TV switched from terrible game shows to even worse soaps, until John had finally had enough and got up to put in a movie.

"I," he said as he turned on the DVD player, "am finally going to educate you on the hilarity that is Monty Python and the Holy Grail. By all rights, you being English means you should already have seen this, so all I'm doing is bringing your education up to date."

Sherlock blinked.

"Am I going to regret this?"
"Almost definitely."

-/-\-

"What!"
"I told you you'd probably regret it!"

By the time the movie ended, it was close to midnight and the full moon was roaring in John's blood. He had ended up half on top of Sherlock, with Sherlock's hands (before they were waved about in outrage) gently, almost absent-mindedly, kneading the back of John's neck and shoulder for the majority of the movie. At the first touch, John had barely managed to restrain a quiet moan – the canine part of him ensured that as soon as someone ran their fingers through his hair or gave him a massage, he was gone, and he was really quite disappointed that it had stopped. The gentle petting had kept the Wolf quiet for the most part, but It had returned with quite a vengeance.

"It can't just end like that! That's not an ending! I can't believe we went through ninety minutes of absolute silliness and unbelievable plot for that."

John laughed and the Wolf howled. And then, unconsciously and quite by accident, the Wolf laughed and John howled.

Sherlock's complaints slowed and stoped. John's howl went on for a few more seconds, until it faded away. He grinned at Sherlock, then seemed to realise what he'd done and his smile faded just like his howl. Sherlock's eyes widened.

"Oh, god. Sorry. It just…sort of came out."

John sighed in exasperation at himself and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"It's –"
"Fantastic, John! I've never heard anything like it! If I hadn't known it was you, I would have thought I was next to a real wolf!"

Sherlock's eyes were still wide, but with wonder, not fear, and they looked at John with an intensity that made him glow and want to howl again. He bit his lip and thought about the ridiculousness of his idea, then gave up, jumped off Sherlock, and grabbed his arm.

"Come with me," John said.
"Okay."

John led Sherlock out of 221, away from Baker Street, and into the park. He took a deep breath and looked around, making sure there was no one about despite the late hour. He nodded once to himself and turned back to Sherlock.

"Okay, I haven't done this with another person since the army. Just…bear with me, alright?"

Sherlock sat down on the bench, crossed his legs and gestured to John with his hands out. John interpreted that as a sort of 'go for it' kind of thing, but wasn't really sure. He crouched and removed his shoes and socks, ignoring Sherlock's confused look. He didn't bother with taking off his jumper. Standing, he looked Sherlock dead in the eye and, with only a stern warning to the Wolf not to be too affectionate, relinquished control.

Sherlock's hands came together with a clap and he brought them up to his mouth in his normal 'this is fascinating' position.

The Wolf did a happy circle of the bench, yipping, and then came to a stop back in front of Sherlock. It tipped Its head back and John and the Wolf howled with feeling. The sound filled the park and seemed to echo around them, continuing on even when They closed Their jaws and lowered Their head.

A huff of breath brought John back to his senses a bit and he blinked in uncertainty, adrenaline still pounding in his veins. Sherlock's mouth was open and he was breathing through lips curving into an awed smile.

The smile broke through and he laughed joyously. He fell to his knees and reached out, almost touching. Asking.

No, just wait – John tried to tell It, but having basically received the go-ahead for touching, there was little he could do to stop the Wolf. Tail wagging like a demented helicopter blade, the Wolf leapt at Sherlock, paws landing on shoulders as It crashed into him and pushed him flat on his back. Sherlock laughed breathlessly and lay there while the Wolf wriggled carefully on top of him. Gently, Sherlock's hands carded through the Wolf's fur, long fingers tangling in it as he became bolder, encouraged by the Wolf's loud and incessant rumbling. John was nearly out of his mind with pleasure. Sherlock laughed again and then, in an act so utterly adorable that John, even lost as he was, would never forget it, hugged the Wolf to him tightly.

The Wolf's tail began thumping so hard, Sherlock eventually had to release It slightly to say,

"Ow, John. Do you mind?"

The Wolf yipped once in apology, licked Sherlock's cheek (and oh, god, John was never going to get over that one) and rolled off him. Sherlock propped himself up on his elbows. His hair was ruffled and his clothes were wrinkled and coated with a layer of fur. He had a grin on his face and his eyes were bright. John had rarely seen the man so happy. The idea that John could hold Sherlock's interest as much as a locked room murder with no weapon could was oddly flattering.

The Wolf's tail was still flying from side to side and Sherlock's hands made a grab at it. The Wolf did another roll and stood a few feet away from Sherlock, who was still lying down. A wicked gleam entered Sherlock's eyes and he scrambled to his feet before chasing after the Wolf with a chuckle infused battle cry (Sherlock Holmes didn't giggle).

Sherlock chased the Wolf through the trees and around the small playground, eventually coming back to the bench where John's footwear had been abandoned. They both stretched out on the grass and after a few minutes, the Wolf was silently replaced with John. He breathed out in a huge sigh and turned his head to look at Sherlock.

"Thanks," John said.

You idiot, Sherlock's eyes seemed to reply. I should be thanking you – you have no idea how much I appreciated this, I mean it.

His mouth said, "Any time," and he meant that, too.

A/N:

THE END.

(eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee it's finished!)

I'd like to thank all of you, you wonderful amazing people who reviewed and favourited and followed and were generally awesome. (special quick mention to Amanda, who is from Australia - ME TOO, THAT'S EXCITING!) You guys have been fantastic, and you've kept me invested in writing stories and finishing them, because that hardly ever happens. :)

I just want to mention one or two things about this chapter:

When I talk about Sherlock petting the Wolf, think of it as the most incredible, relaxing massage you've ever had, coupled with an intense, mind-numbingly good scalp massage. And then you'll maybe get a half of the right feeling. It's not necessarily sexual, it's just one of the best feelings you'll ever have.

I wanted Sherlock to be completely awed by the Wolf, because he's always been fascinated by John, and this just astounds him completely. And when he hugs the Wolf, John melts a bit.

I'm apparently a sucker for schmoopy endings.

I think that's it! Again, thanks to everybody who read, who reviewed, who favourited or followed. It's been a pleasure. :)

Hope to see you around.

Cheers,
Foxboxtango97 :)

P.S I don't own anything, including a Beta.