Once Upon a Time 1. Monster to Monster

It's my first Once Upon a Time attempt.

I just like FrankenWolf so yeah. Friendship, romance, whatever. Spoilers for 2x12.

Partially inspired by some amazing videos on Youtube, especially "Iris || Ruby/Whale". Look it up, it was pretty damn good.

* * *

_"And I'm the werewolf. I ate my boyfriend."_

He'd always known that she was different than a lot of the people in this town. She was different than Snow or Charming, even when they were cursed. Something about her had whispered to him that she wasn't the same, and the red he always saw when he looked at her was just another hint. Now that the curse was broken, it was so much clearer.

He'd come from a world of black and white. Rumplestiltskin had been the first splash of colour to hit his eyes, but after he'd done his business and left the world was back to its dull grey. Even now, in a world full of colour, the only thing he could really see was red. Red was the colour of the blood he worked to stop. Red was the colour of her clothes, her cloak and, once, parts of her hair. The werewolf was polluting his vision and he wasn't sure if he minded or not.

He hadn't realised she was a murderer at first. It had just never occurred to him, that she was capable of hurting people. Every time he'd seen her or heard of her she was saving people, either by helping Snow and Charming or by throwing herself forward to stop people from getting hurt. To catch them. She'd caught him, quite literally, right when he had given up all hope.

_"That's not my son! You are not my son! A ghoul and a grave digger! A fool and a witch doctor! You are a disgrace to this family!"_

He hadn't been able to save his brother. He had come back all wrong and his father had been right. He'd been an idiot. He'd wanted his name to stand for life but all it made people think of was the monster he created. The mistake he'd made. It should have worked but something had gone terribly wrong inside his brother's mind. He hadn't been the same after he came back.

All he wanted was for his name to stand for life. He was supposed to save people but everything he tried just backfired. He hadn't brought his brother back properly. He hadn't brought Daniel back properly and his arm still ached enough to prove that. Every damn time he tried to save someone another person seemed to die and he hated it. That wasn't the way it was meant to be.

_"Regina thought she was punishing us by erasing who we were, but I think she underestimated how much crap we wanted to forget. But we can't let it stop us. She gave us a chance to start over and I wanna take it. I think you should too."_

She was right. She was so right. It was easier just to forget all of it but even as Whale some things hadn't changed. He'd still been alone. It seemed that some things would never change. As a child, his only friend was his brother and once they grew up, they drifted apart. He'd never had friends. That had just been part of who he was. It had seemed that would never change.

But maybe she was right about the other part too. There was no reason to think she wasn't. Regina had banished them here, ripped away their memories to punish them. Maybe they had a chance now, a chance for a new life. This might be his chance to be better. He couldn't save anyone before but things were different now. That man at the hospital had lived thanks to him. There might just be hope for this new world.

_"Maybe there's still some stuff you can fix."_

* * *

I seriously love FrankenWolf and if it ain't developed, I'll kill a bitch.

Also, this is going to be a series of OUaT one-shots, probably mainly FrankenWolf.

/shamelessly ships as she rolls into the sunset

~Klefan-Lover


	2. A Strange Friendship

Romance/friendship, FrankenWolf, Red/Viktor Frankenstein.

Sorry if this isn't that good

* * *

Viktor Frankenstein had never been a dog person. Not once in all his years had he met a dog he liked, or an animal for that matter. They just weren't something he was good with. When he was a child his brother used to try and persuade him to go for rides but the horses never really got along with him. Neither people nor animals got along with the scientist and that was just fine. After a while, he got used to it.

It was the full moon. Most people were inside, where it was safe, but not him. He knew Red. She wasn't a killer, no matter what people feared. Out of the two of them, he was the bigger monster. It wasn't like she'd chosen to be a werewolf. That's just what she was. It was in her blood. She was nice to him though, caring and sweet and Viktor knew she wouldn't hurt him. Even if she did, no one would really miss him. It wasn't the worst imaginable way to die.

He had almost made it home when something made the hairs rise on the back of his neck. There was someone behind him and knowing his luck it wasn't someone friendly. Some things never changed and one of them seemed to be the fact things rarely went right for him. Frankenstein didn't move for a second, letting out a sigh before turning to look at the person that had snuck up on him.

Gold-brown eyes met his, staring up at him from a face covered in dark fur. It was the full moon and it wasn't exactly a person that had snuck up on him. A long muzzle twitched as the wolf sniffed the air, slowly stepping closer to the frozen man. He didn't dare move or even breathe, eyes glued to the fluid movements of the creature in front of him. He'd never actually expected to see her like this, that's why she had her cloak. She didn't have to turn. Honestly, he thought she wouldn't.

A quite huff as a wet nose nudged his hand finally snapped him out of the trance-like state he was trapped in. Trembling fingers carefully caressed the short fur covering the wolf's head, the amused light in her eyes reassuring Viktor that she didn't mind. He wasn't an animal person but this wasn't really an animal. This was Red. This was his friend in a different skin.

"You came to visit me," he whispered, crouching down and mentally regretting the fact that made him shorter. Part of him, somewhere in his subconscious, was screaming that this was a wolf and this was recklessly dangerous. "Did you have a good run, little wolf?"

Without a noise to indicate yes or no, the wolf nudged him back gently, towards the house. Slightly confused, the doctor stood and turned to unlock the door, feeling the warm breaths of his friend against his leg as she waited impatiently. This wasn't how he was expecting his night to go. It wasn't just every day that a werewolf showed up at his doorstep and wanted to come inside.

Once the door was unlocked, Red let out a barking growl before darting inside past him. Viktor sighed, following her in as he fought the smile tugging at his lips. So many people were scared of the werewolf and here she was, scrambling through his house like a curious puppy. Despite the grace she usually displayed as Red investigated his kitchen her paws seemed to slip, indignant growls escaping her throat as she tried to balance and adding to the whole puppy image.

Hoping nothing would break, he made his way upstairs to get changed. It had been a long day and due to the fact he was the main doctor in the practice his shifts always seemed to end far too close to midnight for his liking. By the time he walked home, it was far past midnight and thanks to a little too much paperwork, it was almost one. If Red didn't calm down soon, he'd have to kick her out just to get some sleep but he didn't want to do that. She was always good company, even as a wolf.

Fixing his t-shirt, Viktor felt his eyes droop tiredly as he sat on the edge of his bed. The days seemed to be more and more tiring lately. Things seemed to be going wrong daily, from Belle's amnesia to the man whose car crashed. As his hand came up to rub his eyes the sound of claws clacking against the wooden floor of his hall caught his attention. A questioning whine made him look at the doorway where the large black wolf was standing, head tilted quizzically. Even like this she was more understandable than anyone else in this damn town. Maybe that's why they got along so well.

Offering a hand to the wolf, he watched it pad closer as he quietly explained, "I need to rest. You can stay if you want but I have work tomorrow. You can't keep me up."

Red let out a playful huff but sat patiently, nudging his leg and, taking that as approval, the man gave her one final pat on the head before lying down. This wasn't normal when it came to their friendship but he was Frankenstein and she was the werewolf. Nothing was really normal for them. It wasn't that odd for her to show up at strange hours to check on him though, probably because of the incident only a few weeks ago.

As his body succumbed to sleep, Viktor barely registered the warm weight against his side but a sleepy smile tugged at his lips. So, maybe their friendship was strange and not many people approved. It was worth it. He hadn't really had a friend before this and if the way to keep her was to let a wolf curl up in his bed he could cope with that.

* * *

I don't even like this that much. It's just weird crap I wrote while talking to my friend.

~Klefan-Lover


	3. Stories

Mostly friendship FrankenWolf.

Would anyone be kind enough to review? I'd love to hear some opinions/suggestions for storylines

* * *

Ruby Red, as people tended to call her, wasn't big on reading. Before the curse she hasn't felt the need and once it had struck her mind was on quite different things. Now the curse was broken everything was about adjusting, coping, helping. Her day boiled down to various activities but honestly, none of them had much to do with books. That was more of Belle's area.

Unfortunately, there was one other person in town that liked reading almost as much as Belle and that was who she spent most of her time with. Red wasn't sure why, since he seemed okay, but she still found herself around Viktor almost daily. He didn't have anyone and after what she'd found out she felt for him. They'd both been the reason they lost loved ones. Monster to monster.

It was late afternoon by the time Red finally freed herself from her duties, barely convincing her Gran that it would be fine. It wasn't near wolfstime she could take care of herself if she needed to. She was only going a few blocks. No, he wouldn't hurt her. It was the same argument they had every time she went to visit the doctor. No one really trusted him except her. Then again, no one else had seen him jump, ready to throw away everything. That was their secret.

The door was unlocked, as always. No one ever came to see him and those who did were either always welcome or not opposed to breaking the flimsy wood down. Viktor knew that he was hated by most of the town. That was just part of being Frankenstein, 'evil scientist'. Scoffing slightly at her own thoughts, the werewolf pushed the door open, slipping through the gap and glancing around.

The hallway was darker than she'd been expecting, the only light illuminating the space coming from deeper in the house. Most people would assume they didn't want company but Red knew better than that. He had never been one for lots of light, or colour. From what they'd talked about, he'd grown up in a land of black and white. His house reflected that.

"I really don't know how you and Belle read so much," the wolf teased, leaning against the doorframe as she looked at him with a small smile. This was the way they always were these days. It was easier to just act like this. "I think one day you'll run out of books."

A small smile tugged at his lips as he softly retaliated, "I'll never run out of books. I can always reread the older ones, can't I?"

Red rolled her eyes as she walked closer, settling on the arm of the chair as she looked at his book with vague interest. Sometimes he read cool things. Other times he read medical journals or scientific documents. No matter what he was reading, she liked to see what it was. Curiosity seemed to be a wolf trait.

Almost like he knew what she was thinking, Viktor marked the page he was on before closing it, glancing up at her as he revealed the title. _Frankenstein. _Red frowned, absentmindedly resting her elbow on Viktor's shoulder as she tried to find a way to phrase the words in her mind.

"Why are you reading the story people made up about you?" she asked softly, looking at him for any sign of a negative reaction. They were close now but there were still some things that they didn't talk about.

The silence between them started to stretch into the range of awkwardness before Viktor cleared his throat, admitting softly, "I wanted to see how they saw me. I wanted to see how they saw all of us. I've been working my way through all the stories."

The next question slipped from her lips without conscious thought. "What do they say?"

"That I'm nothing but a mad scientist and you're the girl who was attacked by a wolf."

Red didn't know what inspired her to do it but she leant closer, pressing a light kiss into his hair before quietly retaliating, "Wrong. You might be a little strange sometimes but I wouldn't call you mad."

"You think anyone who touches a book is weird," the doctor pointed out, a different smile than any she'd seen gracing his lips. "By your definition of weird, half the town is extremely odd."

And with that, the night was suddenly back to normal, except for that little smile that didn't leave his face for the rest of their conversation.

* * *

Sorta like the beginning of their relationship

~Klefan-Lover


	4. I Know Who You Really Are

**A/N: **Established relationship, first wolfstime. If you haven't noticed, these one-shots have no connected plotline, they're just things I wrote. So if you're wondering how this can be their first wolfstime when I wrote one with them being friends during wolfstime, the answer is there is no canon here.

* * *

"I have to go."

She could feel it there, burning, just beneath the surface. Desperate to be free. The wolf. Her cloak wasn't here and there was no way she'd be able to get to it in time. It was too easy to lose track of time while she was here but she had to leave. She couldn't lose someone else that meant so much to her. The wolf wouldn't care though, it never did. It wanted to run and it wanted to hunt. Normally animals in the woods were the only thing it took but she was with him and it was hungry. His house was near the outskirts of the town, fittingly for his terrible social skills, and if she hurt him no one would be able to hear him scream.

Viktor frowned, confused, as he ran a hand down her arm to reach her wrist and tug her closer, asking softly, "What's wrong? Did I do something?"

Trembling, she leant forward to press her lips against his, struggling to keep the wolf at bay for just long enough to escape into the woods where it'd be safe to turn. It had been twenty-eight long years since she'd turned consistently thanks to Regina and her curse. She didn't know if she could stop her wolf from doing something stupid, something horrible. It was a wild animal and wild animals rarely left humans alone.

"Ruby, what's going on?" he pressed, tightening the grip on her wrist as the trembling worsened, fire rushing through her veins. "Let me help you."

A whimper escaped her lips as the wolf grew more demanding, snarling at the inside of her mind as it insisted on being released. It was too hard to try and talk or explain as she pulled herself away roughly, turning and heading straight towards the door in an attempt to calm the wolf. She'd been suppressing it with her cloak every full moon she had. One night she ran and the rest of them her cloak had been in place and now the wolf was mad. It wanted to be free.

"Ruby, stop!"

A hand caught her arm, pulling her backwards as panic laced his voice. He didn't keep track of the moon's cycle and he had no clue what was wrong. A bitter sound escaped her, an almost growl, and the hand on her arm slipped away. No matter how dumb he could be, he recognised that noise.

It was too late. The wolf didn't want to be reigned in any longer and Red lost the hopeless fight. The wolf was a part of her but she couldn't control it the way she once believed she could. It didn't hurt to change. It didn't need to hurt to terrify her. Control slipped away in a second as her bones melted and twisted instantaneously, leaving a snarling wolf in the place she'd been standing.

In the time she'd turned before the curse, things had changed. Even when she fought the wolf, she could see what it did, feel what it did. She accepted it as part of who she was but when she fought the change, something in the wolf stopped listening to her. It was a punishment of sorts. She could see what was happening but she had no control over it.

The world was miscoloured as the wolf looked around, eyes quickly locking onto Viktor. It was harder to read him when she was like this but he didn't seem scared. She didn't like that. It didn't like that. A low snarl spilled from behind her bared teeth, making the doctor flinch slightly but he still didn't seem scared. Surprised. Curious. Not fearful.

"Ruby. I know you can still hear me," he murmured, slowing crouching down. His voice was calm and controlled, and his expression was gentle. "I know you won't hurt me."

* * *

He seemed calm. Inside, Viktor Frankenstein was absolutely and utterly terrified. There weren't many things that scared him but a large wolf snarling was one of them. Despite every instinct screaming to run, he knew what would happen. It would attack if he ran, if he made any sudden movement. Ruby would never forgive herself, even if he lived.

Keeping his face neutral, the scientist quickly ran through his options. Run and probably die. Stay and probably die. The choices were terrible either way but there was a chance with the second. He knew she could hear what people said and she might just understand him.

"Ruby. I know you can still hear me," he murmured, struggling to keep his voice steady as he tried to move slowly. Animals hated sudden movements. "I know you won't hurt me."

The wolf's head tilted in curiosity, dark eyes filled with confusion and what seemed to be anger. It wanted him to be scared. Of course it did. A wild animal would want its prey to be cowering in terror.

Viktor slowly extended his hand, trying not to flinch as another snarl escaped the wolf's bared teeth. He couldn't be scared. That'd ruin what they had and it would ruin her.

"I'm not scared. I know who you are," he insisted quietly but firmly, fingers grazing her nose and slowly running up the fur-covered muzzle. "I know you won't hurt me Ruby."

A confused whine escaped as his hand reached her cheek, gently caressing her fur soothingly. Viktor kept his eyes on her, remembering one of the many books he'd read. It was about wolves, one of many he'd read to sate his curiosity. Her body language was changing, from angry to puzzled. That wasn't necessarily good. A confused animal could be just as dangerous.

"You can trust me," he promised, knowing she probably had no idea what he was saying but the tone should be helping. "Come on. You know me."

He could feel warm breaths on his arm as the wolf pressed her nose against him, snuffling noises escaping as she smelt his arm curiously, trying to figure out if he was a friend or foe. Carefully and slowly lifting his other hand, Viktor kept stroking her fur soothingly, waiting for her to make her choice. Hopefully it was a positive one. He liked having his arm.

Something seemed to change as she sniffed at his sleeve. Narrow darkened eyes widened and softened before her tongue darted out, lapping at his hand reassuringly as the wolf slowly calmed, letting the woman take back control. Another noise escaped, this one happier, as the large wolf looked up at him, tongue lolling out as her wolfy mouth pulled into a half-smile. Something was different in her now and it was definitely a good difference.

"You should run, I know you want to," Viktor chuckled, ruffling the fur behind her ears before standing. "Go and play. I'll leave the door open for you."

In the space of two sentences the wolf seemed to get even happier, leaping up and stepping backwards excitedly. It was a reckless and childish enthusiasm, influenced by the wolf rearing up on her back legs, paws coming to rest on the doctor's shoulders. Staggering under the sudden weight, Viktor lifted his hands to rest on Ruby's ribs, spluttering as a long tongue lapped up his face. Before he could do anything the wolf spun and turned, running out through the half-open door and disappearing.

A sleeve was dragged along his face before he sighed, smiling fondly, as he turned and headed upstairs. For their first wolfstime, it could have been a lot worse. He was intact, if slobbered on, and she was running through the woods like she desperately wanted to. All in all, it had worked out quite well.

A few hours later, the door creaked open and dark eyes peered into the empty house. Quietly padding back into the house, the panting wolf snuck upstairs after her human and easily found her way to his bedroom. He was lying there, fast asleep, and Ruby felt a rush of happy and possessive endorphins before carefully climbing onto the bed next to him. He didn't stir even slightly as she curled up next to him, resting her head very gently on his arm with a content huff. It had been a good night.

* * *

His arm was dead. The first thing that truly registered to the scientist was the lack of sensation in his arm, followed by the comforting warmth next to him. It was nice but confusingly so. He wasn't expecting to wake up with anyone.

"Ruby?" he asked, voice muffled with sleep as he pushed himself up carefully enough to see if he was right. Then again, no one else would be in his bed these days.

The dark-haired woman was next to him, face relaxed and peaceful, and the dead arm was suddenly worth seeing her like this. Normally she woke up before him and then got him out of bed so she could get to the diner on time and he would actually go to the hospital. He normally didn't get to see her look like this and it was worth it.

A soft kiss was pressed to her temple before he leant back, getting comfortable and looking up at the dull ceiling with a smile. Nothing was going to spoil this day, least of all work. If there was an emergency the hospital could page him. Granny could run the diner for one morning without the wolf. His wolf. There was another night of wolfstime tonight. They may as well make the most of their day before she turned again. Then again, maybe she'd stay tonight.

* * *

Soooooooooooooooooooooooo. Yeah. Sorry about this random crap.

~Klefan-Lover


End file.

Once Upon a Time