Chapter Text
So this was weird.
Then again, almost everything about Lehigh was weird.
Not in a bad way, and after two months of living there, Bucky was getting used to it. His one-bedroom apartment might be considered small by some, but it was clean and warm, with large windows in every room that let in plenty of light, and bigger than anyplace he lived growing up. It was located on the second floor of an older, but neatly tended building, and came with a compact balcony where he could sit and eat his breakfast in the mornings, or read for a little while every evening. He liked his neighbors well enough, even the kid who lived with his aunt in the unit at the other end of the hall, and while the circumstances of him obtaining the apartment were bittersweet, to his pleasant surprise it quickly came to feel like home, and he loved it there.
He even liked his job at the hospital. Lehigh General was not the busiest or most chaotic of places he ever worked, but Dr. Cho and Dr. Banner-but-please-call-me-Bruce were great and appreciative of his skills, unlike plenty of surgeons he’d assisted in the past. After reviewing his CV and three very in-depth interviews, they quickly offered him a position and appeared to be doing their best to make him feel as if he was not just an employee, but a welcome addition to the staff. Aside from one brief discussion asking if they needed to make any accommodations for him to do his job, and a second over lunch a few weeks ago with Bruce, no one ever commented on the fact he had a metal arm, advanced as it was. Other than that, the only thing that seemed to matter was his job performance.
Bucky knew he was a damned good surgical nurse, and he loved his chosen profession. He loved it even more now he was working with Bruce and Dr. Cho, two of the most brilliant and capable surgeons he’d ever assisted. Warm, welcoming and inherently kind, they made him feel like he was part of a team, something he desperately missed.
But then again, that was all of Lehigh. Warm, welcoming and inherently kind. Located on the outskirts of the Adirondack forest in upstate New York, with a population just above five thousand, it was not the most urban of places Bucky ever lived. Yet it was a diverse town, open-minded and accepting of any who decided to settle there. Granted, there were certain unspoken rules written into the fabric of the culture one had to follow if they wanted to live there, but they were not oppressive, demanding or invasive. In fact, quite the opposite. Cruelty, violence and prejudice were not tolerated in Lehigh; its citizens prided themselves on their kindness, generosity, and willingness to always help someone in need, opting for education instead of punishment and assistance for anyone who might be struggling. Self-contained and self-supporting, it was unlike anyplace Bucky ever experienced before, a testament to what could be accomplished when the ones in control cared about those they were sworn to take care of.
But that was probably because of all the werewolves who lived there.
That was where the weirdness kicked in.
Lehigh was certainly not unique in the fact it was a town run by werewolves. There was usually at least one in most states across America. And werewolves had always existed side by side with humans. But for the longest time, in typical human fashion, they had been hunted, feared, deemed savage, violent, and other by those in power, forced to live in secret. Thankfully that changed over the past fifty years, with laws enacted and educational campaigns initiated in schools and on television. To a certain extent, werewolves were romanticized now, but Bucky could remember his history lessons from grade school, and the stories his mother told him, of how they were once persecuted, forcefully conscripted to serve in the military, brutally experimented on and tortured all in the name of science. He’d had nightmares for weeks as a child when he learned that, and it was why he made sure to include a specialization in werewolf biology when completing his master’s in nursing. It was also why places like Lehigh existed now.
Founded in the forties by Margaret Carter, a were herself who served valiantly in World War Two, Lehigh originated as a small town where werewolves and those who loved them could find sanctuary, live without fear of discovery and all that entailed. A brave and brilliant woman, she spent her life laying the groundwork for a community where acceptance, safety and respect were the foundations upon which everything else was built.
But unlike the other enclaves and small towns werewolves clustered to protect themselves, Margaret decided to extend that acceptance, safety and respect to any others in need.
It was why, for as relatively small as it was, Lehigh was a mecca of diversity, and anyone, no matter their species, race, religion, sexuality or gender identity was welcome there. Werewolves understood prejudice and persecution, and saw no reason why others had to experience what they also endured, and if anybody could create a place centered around healing and safety, it was them.
While known for being unbelievably strong, powerful and virile, which led to the majority of misconceptions about them, if there was one thing history tried to erase, and the wider world recently began to rediscover, it was how devoted werewolves were to their packs. Pack was family, and almost nothing meant more to them than their families. Just like with wolves, a lone werewolf never did as well on their own. They could survive, and had in the past out of necessity, but they were never as happy or healthy as they were when surrounded by, could run with, others of their kind. From what Bucky understood, a pack, especially a pack with a good Alpha, meant safety, security, love. He knew that wasn’t always the case; there were asshole alphas out there, as well as dysfunctional packs, but there were assholes everywhere. Just because someone was a werewolf didn’t mean they couldn’t also be a dick. But from his limited experience that was the exception and not the rule. A good pack, a strong pack, lived and breathed their love for one another, and to their devotion to their Alpha, and their Alpha’s devotion to them.
According to what everyone told him, and he’d seen so far, Lehigh had a very good Alpha. A very, very, very good Alpha the entire town adored. Bucky had not met him yet, and as long as he kept to himself and lived his life quietly, he did not expect that to change. Supposedly chosen by Margaret Carter herself as her successor ten years ago just before her death, he continued to foster the ideals Lehigh was built upon, expanding its social outreach programs and making sure all its residents had what they needed, which Bucky respected and wholeheartedly agreed with.
It still didn’t mean living in Lehigh did not take a bit of getting used to.
While werewolves made up only twenty-five percent of the general population, in Lehigh it was more of a sixty/forty split, with werewolves being in the majority. Which was fine; Bucky could honestly not care less, and it definitely came with advantages. Werewolves had super fast metabolisms, which meant they needed to eat a lot. As a result, Lehigh had a plethora of restaurants, open at all hours. Combined with its philosophy of welcome and acceptance, it also meant he could find cuisines from all over the world, anything he could possibly be in the mood for; blinis from Russia, chilaquiles from Mexico, Ethiopian tibs, and Venezuelan pabellon criollo that was to die for. The crime rate was practically nonexistent, and no one was denied medical care, no matter their financial status. The town’s elderly population was respected and supported, with outreach and volunteer programs to ensure they were looked after.
But living with werewolves meant living with werewolves, and that brought with it certain things Bucky never needed to take into consideration before.
Perfumes, colognes, aftershaves, shampoos, laundry detergent and anything with an artificial scent was heavily frowned upon, since strong smells irritated a werewolf’s nose. Bucky couldn’t even find lemon-scented dishwashing soap in the supermarket.
It was also not uncommon to encounter a two-hundred-pound wolf walking down the street whenever Bucky was out doing his weekly shopping or running an errand. Or to see one lying on their side in a patch of sunlight in the park whenever he had the time and stepped outside for lunch.
There was also the howling late at night, especially during the three nights of the full moon. Unlike the myths claimed, werewolves were not slaves to the moon, nor did they have to shift when she was high in the sky; in fact those who lived in cities often didn’t. But that didn’t mean they didn’t enjoy it, and since Lehigh was their home, every full moon they came together to do whatever it was werewolves did when they were in their second shape and howl at the moon.
Very loudly.
And whenever else they damned well felt like it.
It was so loud Bucky could hear it in his bedroom even with the windows closed. Thankfully, the local pharmacy had a healthy supply of earplugs. Bucky was on his third pair.
Then there were all the naked people.
Werewolves had a very different sense of modesty than humans did. They weren’t nudists, per se, but since they needed to disrobe before shifting and running with their pack, they were much more comfortable with the naked body. Sometimes where they started off as wolves wasn’t where they finished. Other times they shifted simply because they felt like it. But just because their wolves wanted to stretch their legs did not mean their clothes followed, and it was not uncommon to see a completely nude person where a huge wolf had just been.
“Yeah, that happens,” Bruce told him when they exited the café Bruce insisted on taking him for lunch and there was a striking red-headed woman walking down the street, naked as the day she was born. Bucky had been so surprised he almost dropped his sandwich.
“A lot?” he managed to ask once he stopped wheezing.
“Not often, but it’s not uncommon,” Bruce continued to explain. “Usually it’s the younger ones, who haven’t gotten their shifting under control yet, but you’ll see plenty of it on mornings after the full moon.”
“And what are we supposed to do about it?”
“Nothing,” Bruce merely shrugged, as if he saw naked people walking down the street every day. “It’s considered rude to stare, but it’s also considered rude to look away. Just talk to them like you would anyone else.”
“But they’re naked!” Bucky felt it necessary to state the obvious.
“Yeah well, so are you underneath all your clothes.” Seeing the look on Bucky’s face, Bruce gently patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”
Bucky didn’t know about that; he was far from a prude, and his mother made sure to instill a sense of body positivity in both him and his sister Rebecca. He also worked in the medical profession and was familiar with all aspects of the human body. But there was a big difference in thinking the human body was beautiful and seeing naked people just casually taking a stroll. Bucky nearly choked on his own spit the day he saw the naked teenager streaking down the street. And there was not enough bleach in the world to erase from his brain the memory of the morning he decided to try Sunday brunch at a local diner, and just as he was about to taste his first forkful of pancake, a woman who would have given a raisin a run for their money in the wrinkles department strode proudly by the window, her head held higher than any queen’s.
There were just some things a person did not need to see before breakfast.
Thankfully the citizens of Lehigh adapted, and just about every establishment had a drop box by the front door containing clothes, usually sweatpants, t-shirts and hoodies, a were caught unprepared could grab and slip into if they were so inclined.
But that was a big if. A big, fat, fucking if.
Still, late night howling and random naked people on the street aside, the positives of living in Lehigh definitely outweighed the negatives. Yes, it was a weird place, requiring some adjustments on his part, but Bucky could handle some weird. And there was something about Lehigh that resonated within him, whispered to him, telling Bucky this was where he belonged, his home and where he was meant to be.
But this was weird even for the weirdness of Lehigh.
Because sometime between Bucky going to bed after being called back to work to assist with an emergency surgery and then waking up, feeding Vimes and getting ready for his morning run, someone had left a watermelon directly outside his apartment door. No note, no explanation. Just a perfectly round watermelon.
With a huge red, white and blue ribbon on it.