Werewolves of Manchester

[hydeforareason]

"It's alll right, Guv!"  Damn it, he was losing a lot of blood and he ambulance had yet arrived.  The place was crawling with coppers of all sorts, Ray Carling leading the charge to kick in the head of whoever unleashed the dogs on their commander and chief.  Sam stayed behind, hands pressing into the wounds on Gene Hunt's chest and upper arm,

Comments

[alwaystheguv]

"Not but I could of, you twat. What sort of bastard let's a big fuck off dog like that loose?" Gene growled. No, really, he growled. There was no denying that he growled but-- well, it was sort of hard to prove because the distraction was set. Before anyone could call him on it, he's already knocked the bastards chair out from under him.

Handcuffed to the desk, all that he did was slump on the floor, cracking his head on the table.

Crouching down, Gene grabbed his shirt. "Spill, you wanker."

[hydeforareason]

"Woah! 'Unt!" Sam was at his side in a moment, all of the hai on the back of his neck and his arms standing on end. He shuddered. That growl had almost made him want to run away. It didn't help when the idiot he was shaking around did the same thing, baring his teeth for just a moment before he settled down again.

"Quiet, pup. You've no idea what you're playing with."

The accent was off. Foreign. Sam didn't like it. He did wrap his arm around Gene's to haul him back. Before they bit each other like rabid beasts.

[alwaystheguv]

"Oh get off Tyler!" Gene snapped, shoving Sam away and moving closer to have a proper go at the git. He stomped on the mans hand and kept his foot there, relishing in how the man twitched in pain but tried to hide it behind a cocky smile. Nice try. "Look, just tell me where the dog is, you little rat bastard."

The man just smirked and said no more. It was just a little bit annoying.

Gene ended up kicking him in the face and storming off with yet another growl of anger. He couldn't be arsed to deal with smarmy bastards like that.

[hydeforareason]

Sam's arm and shoulder were absolutely killing him. He picked himself up and went after Gene just the same, grabbing the larger man by the elbow. "GUV! What the 'ell is wrong with you?!"

He'd seen Gene get angry before, but never that angry. And the man's strength was just absolutely unbelieveable. It left him almost shivering. Sam might be a light weight, but he could hold his own. Gene just exuded something he couldn't really manage to be too close to and yet he refused to back down.

"That was insane!"

[alwaystheguv]

"He just pissed me off and my arm is killing," Gene snapped, trying to tail away from Sam. He didn't know why but he was just feeling frustrated. Some big fucking dog took a chunk out of him, he'd nearly missed a week off as well. He hated missing work.

How could this case even be cracked when some bastard wouldn't tell him anything and he couldn't think because Sam was throwing him off.

"I need a piss and... and god Tyler, you reek," Gene complained, disappearing swiftly into the bathroom and slamming the door on Sam. Christ, how much cologne did he want?

[hydeforareason]

Sam was taken aback and smelled his shirt before frowning after Gene. He didn't stink... But just to be sure, he asked Annie and then Chris. Maybe he shouldn't have asked Chris so loudly in front of the CID-- But inquiring minds had to know.

Even though he was given a decent, if odd, reaction to his scent, Sam washed up in the sink in the public washroom just in case. He was drying off when he thought of it.

Gene had to be coming down off of steroid-based pain killers!

He found his Guv in his office and entered without knocking. "Go 'ome. You're having roid rage, Guv. You need to sleep it off. Sensitivity to emotion and to smell? Yeah, not fit to be here. Now out with you!"

[alwaystheguv]

"Piss off Tyler," Gene said, much calmer than he had been before. His head was in his hand and was he idly signing his paperwork with a bored expression. He was no idiot, he knew he had been acting out of order and now he was limiting himself to office duties. Surely that was no crime.

He was coping, he didn't need Sam babysitting him. Maybe it was the medication but it didn't mean he had to go home. He could manage the headache, everyone annoying him and how much Sam reeked.

"Go interview him again, take Chris and let me know if he says anything about his dogs. Now go."

[hydeforareason]

The tone of Gene's voice made Sam comply without another word. He stared almost harshly at the CID as if he was mad at it for doing this to Gene and then strode down the centre aisle, taking Chris by the shoulder. "We're going to interview him again," Sam grumbled.

He and Chris set up the recorder and the blood that had been shed thanks to Gene's boot was mostly cleared up. Sam was, frankly, astounded. "We need to find the animals you released," Sam said calmly, offering the man some water.

"They weren't animals. Don't you have family, DI Tyler?"

Sam frowned. "No," he said, harshly, making even Chris frown at him. "But I do know that you 'ave dangerous animals rovin' Manchester now. I need to know the sort.

"It doesn't matter, they're long gone."

"One of them mauled my DCI!"

"Yes, I know. Interesting, that. You'll have your hands full with that one soon enough. Come visit me before the full moon."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Jesus. Take him down for rebookin' Chris. We've a looney here."

[alwaystheguv]

Gene went home early without a word, binning his fags on the way out and making his way downstairs. The drive home was the same as ever and things weren't really that different. It was all little things. Like his wife's perfume was doing his head in, the TV was too loud and when the cat next door snuck into their garden, Gene jumped out of his seat to chase it away.

... Okay, so he always did that. Usually with a jug of water to scare the bastard off and stop it from pissing in his garden. But this time, it hissed and flipped out at him.

The next day, he really hoped this 'roid rage' or whatever wore off. His head was killing and when he arrived at CID, the smell of smoke was never more annoying.

He just went straight to Phyllis to get that bastard back. Time to have a proper talk with his new mate.

[hydeforareason]

Sam had changed his soap to something without fragrance. And used that to wash his hair as well. It was short enough not to really be all that bothered by lack of shampoo. He aired out his clothing and arrived at the station just in time to hear something being tossed around in the cell area.

Sam rolled his eyes and then plunked his head down on Phyllis's desk. "Guv?" he asked, sighing and knowing the answer.

"Guv," Phyllis agreed. "Now get your arse back there and make sure 'e's not breakin' my things."

Sam hemmed and hawed but eventually did slip back in time to hear their beat prisoner growl for Gene to find someplace safe in the next three weeks. "You'll see, pup. You'll mellow out in two weeks, it'll get worse again two weeks after. All goes by the moon. Try not to bite the 'eads off of people you love."

[alwaystheguv]

"Stop callin' me that, you twat," Gene snapped, not buying anything this loon was saying. He was talking like he had converted Gene to some monster cult or whatever. Where did they get these fucked up nutters? Did they all just stumble in from the pubs or something daft?

When Sam arrived, Gene turned his head and frowned. Oh goodie, mommy was here to tell him off for playing to roughly with the blaggers.

"I'm not doin' anything he didn't bring on himself," Gene complained, throwing his hands up and storming out the room. "He's a loon Sam, get him sectioned somewhere, would you? I'm sure he's the idiot letting loose dogs."

And that would hopefully be that. And the missing dog? Well, he hadn't done anything in a week now, perhaps he did kill it?

[hydeforareason]

With all that blood and three bullets fired, Sam believed that yes, indeed, Gene likely had killed the thing. It was probably rotting near the werehouse. He picked the loon up from the floor and finished his crazy talk paperwork before he let him go to Phyllis.

Twenty minutes later and Sam was back in Gene's office, sitting across from him. He'd brought something for his headache -- you're welcome, Guv! -- and something for what looked like a hang over. It smelled as awful as it was going to taste but Sam swore by it to clear a head.

"Probably some nutter tryin' to sell wolves to the zoo or a circus and 'e got denied."

[alwaystheguv]

"He's off his rocker, just ignore him and-- and for God sake Tyler, the hell is this?" Gene complained as he reeled back from the horrible gunk Sam said would clear his hang over. Shaking his head, Gene fidgeted in his seat and moved back.

He was just a tiny bit twitchy today and that got more and more obvious the longer they were in the room together. Never before had Gene moved around so much in his chair.

Pausing, he gave Sam a quick glare when he realised what they both did. He was being annoyingly jittery.

"I quit smokin', okay?"

[hydeforareason]

Sam blinked. Frowned. Tilted his head to the side. And then he grinned, nice and wide, and put the cup behind his back. That explained absolutely everything! The anger, the mood swings, the heightened sense of smell, the lack of chimney in this office--

"That's-- That's brilliant, Guv. Well done. Think of the money you'll 'ave to spend on more trips to the pub!" Sam was proud of him, it was so obvious. Of course, he didn't think Gene'd stick with it. Everyone smoked. The pub was a smoker's heaven. Still, having the DCI care about his health was really a good first step.

"Lemme take this out of 'ere for you."

[alwaystheguv]

"Don't be such a girl, I just stopped cause I did, okay? Now piss off and take that with you," Gene snapped. Sadly, he didn't realise that Sam was going to cheer him on in this and that just made things worse because when word got out that Gene had quit smoking, his men were acting like someone died. Literally.

They were mourning their guvs smoking habits.

Which didn't help when Gene was dying for one! The smell was just so strong, he felt sick doing it. Anything a strong smelling left him feeling sickly. But he could manage alcohol if he drank it fast.

Heading out of his office, he gave his men a look as they all stared at him in one go. The hell? "You have work to do, you know?!"

[hydeforareason]

Sam kept himself scent free over the next week and as expected, Gene's temper managed to calm itself so that he was somewhat easier to live with. The loon was sent up to be sectioned and Sam promptly forgot all about it. Bice and easy. And back to work as usual.

He was in Gene's office just after the new moon, trying to find a file he'd put away a few days ago when Chris zipped right passed the office, eyes wide.

"Red alert!" he called.

Gene was in a foul mood.

Sam rolled his eyes. That man's wife had probably forced him to the sofa again. Sam ignored the warning and went about his neat dismantling of the filing system he actually came up with.