[peter rumancek april catch-all]

[werewolfing]

[any given day - the garden]

[to anyone paying attention, it should be clear that newt has peter suckered good. he spends at least part of every day in the garden, tending plants, pulling weeds, turning earth for new projects. as much as he's sweaty and dirty and offhandedly complains to himself about things, there's sort of a peace to him there with his hands in the soil, nurturing something fragile into growing.

that and it's something to do. even peter needs something to do, sometimes.]

[april 15 - full moon - with newt]

[as usual, peter spends the full moon with newt. they take a short run through a known path in the tunnels to make sure nothing has changed (it hasn't) before going off into the woods where they're less likely to disturb anyone or be seen. it's possible to see boy and big-ass freakin' wolf doing such mundane activities as playing fetch, sitting in the forest together, or just walking. the wolf is big, at least 200lbs and irish wolfhound height, with golden eyes, wicked looking fangs, and a glossy coat that just happens to be the same color as peter's hair, although that last one might be a bit difficult to tell in the dimness of hadriel's 'night'.]

[without newt]

[sometimes peter just needs to let loose and run, full tilt and reckless through the ruins and the forest, along the banks of the river, always skirting the settlement itself. but for those who don't sleep easy in hadriel, it's fully and entirely possible that one might be passed by a streak of dark brown creature that gallops past on four long legs, leaving behind very canine footprints. is it a monster? does someone have a very big dog? what's the deal?]

[april 16-23]

[peter does his walking along the streets to get supplies hunched over with his hands in his pockets, head down but eyes moving from side to side. he doesn't like this game. fear may give him good cigarettes (and like hell if he'll ever be mad enough at the god to stop asking for those) but his idea of fun is...really not fun. he doesn't want to see his target, and frankly, if he's being targeted, he'd rather just be taken out quickly than have to worry about trying to fight back. it's much easier if he doesn't go into survival mode, especially since there won't be another full moon for awhile yet.]

[choose your own adventure]

[do it! do the thing!]

Comments

April 23rd

[krangke]

Excuse me.

(That's his ooooh you're in sooo much trouble voice, Peter. Watch out, bud. Newt's standing a couple feet away, arms crossed over his chest and a very calm, steady stare on his face.)

What exactly do you think you're doing wandering about?

(It's almost like the reverse of the whole garden incident. Only this time it's Newt trying to make sure Peter is safe. Newt adamantly refuses to let anything happen to Peter and what with this whole target nonsense- well. That and if Peter was taken out quickly....How dare he be fine with that. Newt was ready to lay into Peter twenty times over for this. There are way too many risks and seriously, Peter, did you want to give Newt a heart attack? He is 100% about to use guilt tactics and ruthlessly so.)

[werewolfing]

[peter freezes, more at newt's tone than anything else. his shoulders unhunch as he turns around.]

Going to get food? It's been like two weeks we're out of just about everything.

[for a moment he looks repentant, but then he looks up at newt with a half-scowl.]

And what are you doing out?

[krangke]

(Newt stares at Peter with a look that encompasses the wrath of all disappointed mothers.)

I'm out because you're out.

(Newt places his hands onto his hips and that's like, even more danger mode for Peter.)

I could have gotten the food. It's safer for me than it is for you.

[werewolfing]

[oh my god newt. the terrible thing is, it works, and peter looks down and shuffles his feet.]

You followed me? Are you serious? And how is it safer for you?

[now he's just going to be stubborn.]

[krangke]

(Newt rolls his eyes at Peter.)

Bloody hell, I did not follow you. Way to make that sound awful. If I had seen you going, why would I have let you go past the threshold? I noticed you weren't around and I took off looking for you.

(He gives Peter a particularly loud, exasperated sigh.)

Because, Peter, the worst that'll happen to me is I'll die. The worst that'll happen to you....

(He gives him a very particular look. He then removes his hands from his hips and goes to Peter. He reaches a hand out and settles it against the side of his face, forcing Peter to look up at him.)

That isn't fair and you know it. You would never let me risk sinking back into being a Crank and I won't let anything similar happen to you.

[werewolfing]

[peter opens his mouth to argue and then shuts it again. newt's not wrong. the worst that could happen to peter isn't that he could die. it's that he wouldn't die, that his instincts would kick in. his shoulders slump and he leans into newt's hand.]

Okay, okay. I shouldn't have come out alone. Sorry.

[he pauses for a moment, fumbling for newt's other hand.]

We still need groceries, though.

[krangke]

No you shouldn't have. It's okay. Just...Normally you're better at self-preservation than this. I'm supposed to be the dumbass here, okay? Not you.

(At least when it came to this kind of stuff. He leans forward and gives Peter a quick kiss on the mouth before dropping a softer, slower one on his forehead.)

Besides, you realize what would happen to me if anything happened to you, right? It'd break my heart.

(And he does mean that with complete sincerity. It wasn't meant fully to be a guilt trip but it kind of would break him a bit.

He tangles his fingers with Peter's hand and smiles lightly.)

Yes, we can go and get some bloody groceries. Together. Then if some blasted idiot comes up trying to kill you, we'll take care of it.

[werewolfing]

Right, I'll remember that you're the dumbass for next time. I'd never want to break your heart.

[somehow, it hadn't really occurred to peter that newt would be heartbroken. death was temporary, and peter didn't really think he'd get killed over some groceries. it just seemed too stupid. but really it had just been thoughtless.]

We're taking care of it if some idiot comes up trying to kill you too, right?

[krangke]

Good that.

(All of that. Newt was pretty awful at taking care of himself but taking care of others was second nature. Maybe death was temporary here but that didn't mean Newt wanted Peter to go through it. Worse yet, he didn't want him to lose himself to the wolf either.

At Peter's question, Newt makes an exaggerated thoughtful sound, humming and tipping his head back and forth.)

I guess so. Someone has to take care of you and I prefer that person to be me.

[werewolfing]

[peter squeezes newt's hand. he's usually pretty good at watching his own ass, but he hadn't really thought through the worst of all possible scenarios. dying wasn't so bad. not dying was much worse.]

I also prefer that, so this works out all right.

[he raises their joined hands and presses his lips to one of newt's knuckles.]

[krangke]

Let's get groceries then get you home.

(His mouth stretches into a wide grin when Peter kisses the back of his knuckles and his eyes gleam subtly.)

I'll give you plenty reason to stay inside during all of this, I assure you.

(He winks at Peter before turning promptly on his heel and dragging Peter along with him.)

[werewolfing]

Well then let's get groceries and get you home too.

[peter barely has a chance to waggle his eyebrows before newt is dragging him off, and he barks a short little laugh.]

You're amazing.

[krangke]

We'll make it very quick.

(He snorts his own laugh when Peter waggles his brows back at him and god, he's in love with a total moron.)

What? Oh, please. I didn't even do anything. Are you looking at my legs again? Really, Peter.

(He barely sounds mad. As a matter of fact, he sounds outrageously delighted.)

[werewolfing]

Nope. I'm looking at your legs and your butt.

[because he might as well tell the truth.]

We should make a grocery list.

april 15

[whichend]

[ There are several sensible things to do when one sees a 200-pound wolf. Running straight at it is not one of those things.

Arya does it anyway.

She hasn't had the wolf dreams in months, not since she came here. It's been roughly half a year, and now even the memories are starting to fade. If Arya thinks about it too much, she realizes that she's losing a part of herself, and that's unacceptable. While the wolf she sees isn't her wolf, it's certainly better than none at all. She stops a few feet away from the wolf, barely suppressing a smile. ]

[krangke]

Oh thank goodness. I was about to complaint about negligence.

Yeah? What would you like on this grocery list of yours, Peter.

[werewolfing]

It would be an actual crime to neglect that butt.

[peter gives a little snort.]

How did you just manage to make that sound dirty? It's not like hope stocks whipped cream and chocolate syrup or anything.

[krangke]

Yes, the authorities in this place would come rushing at you.

(Peter gets a beautifully perplexed look at the next sentence though.)

How on earth is whipped cream and chocolate syrup dirty is my question? Also, it totally wasn't dirty. You're just perverted and have selective tone hearing or something.

(Was that a thing? He was totally thinking it was a thing.)

[werewolfing]

[peter knows arya, knows the scent of her, so he just stops and stands there, slightly wary. but arya doesn't know peter, so why is she smiling like that? peter's not trying to give himself away, here, and besides, the only human he's really become comfortable with is newt. he makes a little grumbling noise that's not a growl but not precisely friendly either, waiting to see what she does.]

[whichend]

[ Arya has spent enough time as Nymeria to know what a growl like that can mean, and her smile fades, respectfully. This time, when she comes closer to the wolf, she moves slower, almost gentle. She sets her sword off to the side -- Arya hunts men with that, not wolves -- and lays a careful, but not frightened hand on the wolf's back. She sighs a little at the feeling of fur under her skin once more. ]

[werewolfing]

Oh my god, Newt. If we ever find some, I'll show you. Shit, maybe I'll find something else to substitute in and show you anyway.

And we've been over that I'm a pervert.

[newt gets another eyebrow waggle.]

More seriously though we're out of pretty much everything worth eating.

[krangke]

You are so bloody weird sometimes.

(Newt was childishly imagining the oddest things one would do with chocolate syrup in terms of sex and it made him shake his head in bemusement.

But truth be told, he wasn't against doing anything like that with Peter- even if it was weird.)

My goodness.

(Another exasperated tone but at least this time Newt seems amused. He might be a bit of a pervert himself, honestly, just much less honest about it.)

Then we'll make sure to get everything at the store worth eating then. Simple fix.

[werewolfing]

[peter doesn't run from arya because it's arya, but that doesn't mean that there's not some amount of tension that leaves him when she sets her sword to the side. she may not know him for who he is, but at least now he's positive she means no harm.

he lets out a sigh when she touches his back. his coat is thick, a coarse and shiny overcoat with fluffy, downy fur beneath.]

[werewolfing]

Trust me on this one.

[peter just sounds amused. he's already making a mental list of things that could be substituted for chocolate syrup for similar effect.]

Good thing you decided to come along, then, that might be more food than I could manage on my own.

[depending on what's in the shop they head into, anyway.]

[whichend]

[ The smile creeps back on Arya's face when the wolf relaxes, too, and she scoots closer, brushing her shoulder against his own.

In hindsight, she should have been more careful. She never should have gotten so close, so relaxed.

Because she lets herself slip, her mind so desperate for the presence of a wolf that in enters this one. This wolf is no Nymeria, but Arya knows exactly who he is. Peter.

The connection isn't only one way, however, and Peter, if he lets her, will be treated to an overwhelming sensation of pure Arya, but also something far less human, more wolfish. Memories of the hunt. A pack. A loud, powerful howl. ]