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Petopher Secret Santa 2014
Prompt #8
Peter had been having such a good time. Really, this was his very favorite time of year, and he had been enjoying his most favorite thing that came along with it. Big emphasis on the had. Right up until he caught a whiff of gun powder and wolfs bane. Followed by a trace of a very mild sandalwood and tobacco cologne that covered the earthy scent that Peter was all too familiar with.
He looked about him discreetly searching for the source of the smell, hoping to catch sight of them before they saw him. With the lights down in the theatre like they were, most people wouldn’t be able to see faces in the dark, but Peter wasn’t most people and his night vision was…well it was really really good.
There. Up on the balcony to the right side of the theater, a private box of course (Peter rolled his eyes), strategically a good vantage point. Sitting there one could see the whole of the theatre and still be able to see the stage very well. And the private box allowed for controlled access to the people sitting in it.
Peter slid down into his seat, determined to finish watching the show and for this new development to not ruin his night. This was his present to himself and he would enjoy every minute of it.
It had become something of a tradition in his family, until the fire that is. It started with his parents. Before they had had any children they would often go to the theatre to enjoy musicals put on by the local community theatre. They had continued after Talia and Peter were born, and the family favorite had been seeing the Christmas musical put on Christmas Eve every year. The only year they had missed it was when his dad had taken the family to New York and they had seen three musicals on the stage of Broadway.
Peter had really wanted to invite Derek to come along, they had been getting closer over the past year, after Peter had recovered from his time as a raving lunatic trying to kill the whole of Beacon County. He had been scared though, as close as the two of them were getting again, he couldn’t bear the thought of Derek turning him down. So he decided to go by himself, pitiful he knew, and ask Derek next year.
SHHHHHH…..they just go to his favorite part.
Peter got sucked into the musical and completely forgot that he was hiding from someone. The lights were up now and everyone was starting to file out of the theatre into the lobby where they were selling CD’s of the show. Peter really wanted a CD, he absently wondered while slowly moving towards the door if he could manage to purchase a CD while also managing to escape unnoticed.
He looked around and sniffed the air in the most non awkward way he could manage. He could neither see, hear or smell the other theatre patron so he figured if he hurried he would be safe. Peter got in line for the CD’s and it was just his luck to be caught behind an old lady. Peter didn’t have anything against old ladies, they were wonderful to talk to actually, but goooooooooddddd, their perfume. Trying to breathe as shallowly as possible and through his mouth so as to smell as little of the overwhelming fragrance as possible Peter moved to the table and held out his money to the sells people, who then took it and handed him a CD. With a small satisfied smile Peter turned, looking down at the CD, and began moving towards the exit.
He must have really not been paying attention, and his nose was not going to be any good for like a week because of the perfume, because he walked straight into the one person he had hoped to get away from.
Chris Argent.
“Peter?” Chris asked, sounding both confused and on guard. Chris looked briefly around to see if there were any other threats in the near vicinity before landing back on Peter’s face, glancing down to the CD in his hands and then back up.
“Christopher.” Peter said, trying his best not to sound defeated.
“What are you doing here Hale? Can’t you at least leave the people of Beacon Hills in peace for the Christmas season? Or do you get off on ruining everything?” Chris spat out cuttingly.
It took effort but Peter did not show the hurt on his face, and he did not take the step back that he so desperately wanted to. He wanted to turn and run. To forget seeing Chris here, to curl up on the couch in his sister’s blanket that was saved from the house and drink the apple cider he made from his mother’s recipe that he had been lucky enough to learn by heart before her recipe book had tuned to ash and to listen to his new CD that he was so happy to have. He hadn’t gotten a new musical CD in over seven years. And now here an Argent was, ruining everything, again.
Peter closed his eyes and took a deep breath, when he looked back up at Chris, his eyes –his bright blue eyes that were always so defiant – were filled with a sadness that was so deep it hurt to look at.
“I hope you enjoyed the show Christopher. Merry Christmas.” Peter said before tuning and walking out the door.
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Chris was a monster, and he should know, he had hunted and killed enough of them to be able to tell what one looked like. There was no reason for him to be that rude to Peter, and he knew that, he knew exactly what that hurt in Peter’s eyes had been and what had caused it. But tonight had been hard. Allison loved –had loved- coming to see Christmas musicals. It had been two years and Chris had decided that tonight he was going to honor her memory by going to see one. He had cried during the whole thing, the tears just hadn’t stopped falling. As soon as the curtain closed Chris had been out of his chair and moving as fast as he could to the restroom. He had taken a few minutes to let the crowd die down and to let some of the redness out of his eyes.
He had not been expecting to run into Peter Hale of all people on his quick dash out of the building. He had been so taken aback by seeing Peter while in the emotional state he was in that he hadn’t thought before speaking. Chris had instantly gone on guard and lashed out. Peter hadn’t deserved that. He was missing his family just as much as Chris was right now.
Chris got all the way into the kitchen of his apartment before he decided that there was no reason for the two of them to be miserable and alone on Christmas, they could be miserable and together. He grabbed the few things he would need and then headed back out of the apartment, got into his car, and headed towards Peter’s apartment complex on the other side of town.
*********************************
Peter was sitting on his couch being miserable, listening to his CD and waiting on his cider to get warm, his plate of Christmas themed sugar cookies sitting on the coffee table, when he heard the knock on the door. Thinking it was Derek or one of the pack coming to say merry Christmas he got up and opened the door. It wasn’t one of the pack.
“What do you want Argent? Wasn’t ruining my night once enough for you? You just had to come to my home and do it again?” Peter asked, tired of fighting.
“Allison” Chris started, cleared his throat from the tears threatening and then started again. “Allison loved going to Christmas musicals. I know that isn’t an excuse for being such an ass but I just figured that you of all people would understand.” Chris said. And it was true, even Derek, who had lost most of his family too, didn’t understand what it was like to lose a child like Peter and Chris did. That was a different kind of pain, a different kind of lonely, a different kind of misery.
Peter seemed to soften at the words. Understanding on a deep level what it was Chris was going through. Peter had had almost nine years to deal with the loss, Chris had only had two.
“What is in the bag?” Peter asked ushering Chris into the apartment.
“Egg nog, Moravian cookies and the blanket she gave me for Christmas when she was ten.” He let out a small chuckle, “it has a wolf on it.”
Peter barked out a laugh at that. He picked up a mug and motioned to the stove, “I have apple cider, sugar cookies and Talia’s blanket.”
The two men got out their respective snacks and sat down on the sofa, curled up on opposite corners listening to the CD. As the night went on, they began to share stories of their families that they had lost, of the children that they would never stop loving. Eventually moving closer and closer on the sofa until they were laying stretched out, arms around each other, legs entwined as they slept.
************************************
They woke on Christmas day around 11:30 looking into each other’s sleep clouded eyes with a light dusting of snow on the ground. Chris moved first, gently touching Peter’s lips with his own then slowly starting to move away until Peter started pressing his lips back to Chris’ and tightening his arm around his waist, holding Chris closer.
They kissed slow and deep for quite a long while, wrapping around each other in such a way that if it wasn’t for their clothes the lines between who was who would have been nonexistent.
What broke them from their trance was the ringing of both of their cell phones. Scrambling to find them and then sighing in great huffs when they saw that members of the Pack were calling them they answered at the same time, waiting to hear what big bad had attacked the town while they slept.
“Where are you at?” Was the question that they both got through their phones. “Did you forget the Christmas lunch at Derek’s? The whole pack is here and we are waiting on you to get here. Do you know how hard it is to control a pack of hungry teenage werewolves when there is food in front of them?”
“We’re on our way.” Chris and Peter said in unison, causing a startling list of questions to start up on the other end of the phones. They hung up and started getting dressed.
They drove to Derek’s together, hands clasped over the center console of Chris’ SUV.
Small smiles on both of their faces as they glanced at each other, hope in their hearts for good days to come and the promise of more miserable nights……………..
Together.