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Post by Snaggle on Oct 6, 2012 15:38:36 GMT -5
William turned, took a few steps, paused, and turned again, his shoes squeaking as he paced on the rough red carpet outside of the Peri's door.
Any moment now he would knock, any minute...He would summon up the courage to knock and enter...Maybe.
Heck; he knew if she anything to tell him then Peri would simply barge right on into his apartment whenever she jolly well pleased.
But the truth was..
well...
He simply didn't know how the woman would react.
William had a horrific mental image of her staring at him, gawping and the calling him a complete idiot. Or just rejecting the little man completely now that he was-
But it had been seeing her become so injured in the forest a few days before; watching her lying there, bleeding and changing, and realizing that he had no idea how to help...feeling so helpless...It was that which had made him finally decide to do what he had been terrified of doing for the past six years.
Pausing, his face a little grimace of anticipation and fear, he lifted one sweating hand, and knocked hurriedly on Peri's apartment door.
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Post by *Kittlez. on Oct 6, 2012 15:45:20 GMT -5
It had been roughly a day or two since the incident in the forest, and Peri's wounds had healed enough for her to get about with relative ease, but she'd still been on bed rest from work, having to change the bandages around her abdomen regularly. They were healing as Dr. Bailey had predicted, but Peri being the stubborn woman she was had neglected the painkillers, causing her to have occasional fevers and a lot of pain.
She had slept in late today, trying to rest as much as possible, but was roused from her sleep by a few sharp knocks on her front door, staggering out of bed, wearing a tank top and jogging bottoms that were a little too big for her, not properly awake as she opened the front door, squinting in the suddenly rush of light.
Oh. Will...
Rubbing her eyes, she attempted a halfsmile at her friend/possible partner/possible... something, before opening the door fully, before noting how... nervous he looked. "Morning Will... are you okay? Do you want to come in?" She asked, looking a little perplexed. [/size] |
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Post by Snaggle on Oct 6, 2012 15:55:20 GMT -5
It took all of his self control not to jump back and take off at a fast run down the corridor when Peri opened the door, staring blearily across at him with a look of 'yes-I'm-just-woken-up-what-do-you-want?"
He gulped, warmed considerably by the knowledge that Doctor Bailey had been correct and that she was healing up well enough to walk about unaided and without the look of pain that had crossed her face before. But his heightened fear didn't let him relax for long.
He closed his eyes, not quite listening to her greeting, and desperate to get his news out before he bolted.
"H-HelloPeri,Howareyoufeeling?MayIpleasecomein?"
He recited quickly, taking a step towards the door as he did so.
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Post by *Kittlez. on Oct 6, 2012 16:00:47 GMT -5
All the more perplexed by his flurry of questions, she nodded, inviting him in. Her apartment was considerably more tidy than it had been before, as she had little else to do while stuck in doors, not to mention she had hardly had the ability to trash it in any way shape or form.
Moving over to the sofa, she plopped herself down, a little too confused to be doing with formalities such as offering him a drink. Looking up at him expectantly, she tipped her head to one side.
"Alright, spill. What's on your mind? Obviously something's eating away at that brain of yours." [/size] |
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Post by Snaggle on Oct 6, 2012 16:12:19 GMT -5
Grateful, William trotted after Peri as she invited him into her newly tidy apartment.
Moving into the center of the room as she carefully plonked herself down on a chair, William stared at the living room rug, trying to pull himself together as he played nervously with his jacket buttons.
Finally he glanced up, his face it's usual rosy red and his ears burning brightly. Not quite meeting her gaze he shoved his hands firmly into his pockets and tried to look more confident than he felt.
"Peri...I-I...W-well, I-I thought I'd b-better tell you..."
He paused and bit his lip; well, here he was. Might as well get it out and done with, then face the consequences as quickly and as manfully as he could.
"I-I've joined a pack...V-Validus pack...A-actually"
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Post by *Kittlez. on Oct 6, 2012 16:33:15 GMT -5
"....oh." Peri's voice sounded surprisingly lost and tiny, compared to her normal bold, loud and boisterous personality, her expression a little too fixed to be realistic, the calm, nonchalant aura she was giving off seeming a little fake.
A pack. He had... joined... a pack.
What on earth did that mean for her? For... them?
Peridot was a loner, through and through. The idea of joining a pack terrified her, even if it was with Will. She worked just fine alone, she had been just fine alone, until she had drunkenly invited Will into her life and suddenly everything was confusing, and she had absolutely no idea what to do.
Feeling a slight pang in her chest, she inclined her head, silent for a few long moments.
"Heh... I guess that means we can't really see eachother much anymore. I mean... I'm a loner, and you're pack wolf... right? It's not the done thing..." Peri fought to keep the sadness from her voice, not meeting his eyes. [/size] |
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Post by Snaggle on Oct 6, 2012 16:46:10 GMT -5
William felt a sudden sharp pain of horror in his chest as Peri calmy explained her feelings on the subject.
Not see her?
No!
No, that wasn't want he wanted at all!
"B-but I...I-I did it f-for you!"
He exclaimed weakly, realising even as he said it, just how needy and dramatic and childish this statement sounded.
He slumped, his face a picture of utter dejected, drained from both his earlier fright and Peri's reaction to his reveal.
"I-I mean I...d-didn't w-want to see you get hurt again...e-ever...a-and I thought...m-maybe if I-I..."
He trailed off miserably and played with the sleeve of his suit jacket, his sharp nails biting into the thick fabric with an almost frantic air.
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Post by *Kittlez. on Oct 6, 2012 16:56:30 GMT -5
Peridot stared at Will as he explained himself, eyes widening slightly, her previous repressed sadness now falling away into a mixture of confusion and slight happiness, touched by the gesture. He... wanted to protect her?
"Will....." She started, honestly not too sure how to continue. What did this mean? Did he want her to join the pack too?
"But... how do you expect a pack to protect a loner like me? I mean, it's not like I'm your mate or anything-" Peri inhaled sharply. She had not meant to say that outloud. It was meant to be a thought, a thought! |
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Post by Snaggle on Oct 6, 2012 17:12:06 GMT -5
"I-I...I don't know..."
He admitted, finally looking up at her. His lower lip was wobbling childishly, and he wanted to explain to her...What...exactly?
That he knew he would never be a strong enough...anything, to protect her the way he wanted to? That he didn't even know just quite why he wanted so desperately to make sure she was safe?
That some frantic part of his mind had turned to the Alpha of Validus in some strange desperate hope that having a group of others around him might...well...
Make him stronger?
Make Peri...Respect him more?
But all attempts at assembling a decent reply were forced from William's mind at Peri's final sentence;
Feeling his attempt at a smile freeze awkwardly on his face, William's eyes widened in slight shock.
His...Mate?
That would be...
"Heh...M-mate?...Heh..."
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Post by *Kittlez. on Oct 6, 2012 17:22:35 GMT -5
Peri blushed lightly, a little annoyed at herself for using the werewolf terminology for such a matter. Shaking her head slightly, she rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, trying to ignore the look of shock on his face at her words.
Perhaps she'd been a bit too bold with that statement. Even if she hadn't meant to say it. The two of them were happy in their ambiguity, weren't they...?
"Mate, girlfriend... whatever." She replied shortly, looking extremely awkward talking about the whole thing. She wasn't... was she? They were just friends who occasionally had sex. For no real reason. Well, it wasn't as if she didn't like him, she did, but... And there came the confusion all over again.
Thinking about this made her head hurt.
"I'm... just saying that they probably wouldn't care about a loner who had no sort of... strong ties such as that to one of their pack members..." She tailed off, sighing heavily. Not that she needed protection from a pack, or anything... But she couldn't help but feel, in a tiny voice at the back of her mind, that the safety would be... nice. |
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Post by Snaggle on Oct 6, 2012 17:59:28 GMT -5
Hesitating slightly, William took a small step towards Peri, unsure of what to say or how this would end now that he had explained his case.
"B-but if I...E-explained...a-about and...W-well it's better than nothing!"
The last statement was exclaimed in a high pitched, shrill little yap; his inner wolf's attempt at a last stand to prove himself right and stick to his idea.
Really all it sounded like was a desperate, needy whine.
It was either that or dwell on what Peri had also said, and thus open himself up to thoughts of mates and girlfriends; of...relationships. Something William had hardly been a master at to begin with, let alone after he had had his little inner wolf shoved upon him and into his life.
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Post by *Kittlez. on Oct 7, 2012 8:48:30 GMT -5
He had a point.
Exhaling sharply, Peri allowed herself a moment to think all of this through. She should be happy for him, shouldn't she? He had chosen the pack life, surely he would flourish and prosper, he'd have a family, he'd be protected... And, once more, she'd be the foolish little stray dog following around the big dogs and their pack.
Of course, she could never say any of this to Will, it would be selfish to show her jealousy, especially when the most likely retort would be 'if you feel that way, why don't you join a pack too?'. In her mind, it wasn't quite that simple. It took a lot for Peri to trust one of her own kind, as she hadn't exactly been welcomed into it under particularly nice circumstances, but then again, neither had Will. They could bond, he made her... happy.
It wouldn't be long before he had gotten caught up in his new pack life, and forgot about her, anyway. Perhaps it was for the best.
"....You're right. I'm... happy for you, Will. That's great news." She smiled at him, forcing out the happy words, despite her mind being somewhere else entirely.
"You'll have to tell me what being in a pack is like... I can't really imagine it, myself... I'm sure you'll end up with a lot of stories, heh." |
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Post by Snaggle on Oct 7, 2012 9:00:41 GMT -5
"B-But...I-I...and"
A little whimper escaping his throat, William flopped down in the chair opposite Peri, hanging his head and staring down at his shiny shoes.
He tried to smile back, forcing his lips up over his sharp little teeth in a kind of hearty grimace.
"heh...y-yeah...s-stories...A-and you'd be t-the f-first one I'd t-tell..."
But William's heart wasn't in it; he'd done it again; ruined everything again. Just as he had done with that human girl and her questions, with his drunken escapades when he'd thought Peri was a human....
And now here...With his stupid idea to join a pack.
It was a wonder she still put up with him and his desperate stupidity...A wonder how he'd managed to survive all these years as he was.
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Post by *Kittlez. on Oct 7, 2012 9:33:53 GMT -5
Oh jeez, now she'd made him upset...
Without even thinking, Peri rose from her seat on the sofa, crossed the distance between the two of them, and wrapped her arms around her friend, pulling him into a hug. Upon realizing her reactions, she couldn't help but wonder why on earth she'd chosen such a way of showing him her emotions, but hey... She'd have to take this and run with it, now.
"I didn't mean to sound upset, or jealous or anything... If you're happy, I'm happy, I promise. You know I care about you, and everything..." The words came out a little more awkwardly than she would have liked, but they were the honest truth, and that in itself was an achievement.
"And... I appreciate you wanting to protect me... I guess it's not a crime to need help every once in a while... I'm just stubborn." She chuckled lightly, sounding as if she didn't entirely mean it, but at least the sentiment was there.
"You can protect me all you want." [/size] |
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Post by Snaggle on Oct 7, 2012 11:24:51 GMT -5
Feeling Peri's warm arms suddenly wrap themselves tightly around him, William looked up in shock at the sudden unexpected movement of affection from the woman.
His grimace turned upwards into a genuine smile at her rather stiff statement, his face reducing to a light blush of red as he awkwardly maneuvered his arms up to stiffly hug her back, wishing they were in a more comfortable position to do so.
"A-and I...I-I care about you too...Peri"
It was quite strange how easily that slipped out, how easy if sounded on his tongue. How...Right.
"I-I would...n-never do anything i-if I thought it might harm you..."
Finally, after all these years, he felt himself fling open the doors of his mind to the possibilities of...well...Peri.
Having someone to finally care about utterly...To share everything with...After so long.
"P-Peri...I..."
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