Work Text:
There’s a kind of feral look in his eyes as Chris forces him to the ground. Peter lets it happen, he’s not as strong as he used to be after all, and Chris Argent is a powerful man. Not to mention the knife he’s got pressed against Peter’s jugular. But Peter has one weapon at his disposal that Chris can never possess.
He laughs.
“What’s so funny?” Chris asks, his voice flat as if intoning will put him at a disadvantage.
“I could have torn you to shreds in the time you’ve wasted debating over killing me,” Peter says.
Chris’ face is still impossibly close to his, so Peter can feel the heat of his breath against his skin when he talks. “This isn’t about the kill. This is training.”
“But you’re considering it, right? It’s got to be tempting, having me at your mercy and you not being able to do a thing about it.”
Chris curls a fist in Peter’s jacket. “Shut up.”
“I wonder,” Peter continues, “how soon after we find Gerard will you cut me in two? Will his body even be cold before you decide we’re no longer on the same team?”
“I said shut up,” Chris hisses, “someone’s coming.”
Peter’s voice drops to a whisper. “Well then, maybe you shouldn’t be straddling me in the middle of the woods at night. People might get the wrong impression.”
“We have to stay still,” Chris says, “the leaves rustling will attract their attention.” Chris glances quickly around them, keeping his body low to the ground against Peter’s. “Who is it? Can you smell them?”
“All I’m getting right now is a big whiff of Argent,” Peter groans. “Can’t we just fight? You have a knife. I should know, it’s still pressed against my throat.”
Chris lowers his hand a little, his fist still curled around the blade as it rests against Peter’s chest. “What if it’s the Alpha pack? You know we can’t take them alone.”
“So we just wait here? That’s a terrible plan,” Peter says. “That’s a plan even Scott would call dumb.”
Chris sighs. “Derek and the others are out here somewhere too, if it’s a threat, they’ll have scented it and will be on their way here. Until then, we don’t draw attention to ourselves. Now, keep quiet.”
“You were more fun when you were my enemy,” Peter mutters, but then he does fall silent.
He spends the next few minutes listening to Chris’ elevated heartbeat, and even though Chris is trying his best to stay calm and keep his breathing steady, that beat would pound in the ears of any Alpha in the vicinity. And he wonders how he’s got here, body pressed up against an Argent, the ones who destroyed everyone he ever loved, and he isn’t ripping out his throat.
There’s an understanding there, Peter sees. The fire took away Chris’ family just as it took away Peter’s. Chris gets pain, and he understands revenge, but he still lives by his code. That’s something Peter can respect. So he’ll let Chris live until the day Chris decides to turn his blade on him. Which has to be coming someday. According to this code, Peter is fair game, unless his rebirth cleansed him of his past sins. How pretentious did that sound?
Peter can hear the footsteps quicken, crunching against falling leaves, and they’re heading in his direction. Whoever it is, they must be picking up on Chris’ heartbeat. It’s pounding in his ears now, and Peter can almost feel Chris’ anger at himself. How could he have been so stupid, Chris probably thinks, to leave himself in such a compromising position with only a knife? How could he have decided that the best plan of action was to leave all the weaponry with Allison at the Hale house?
He needs to change the signal, and fast. It’s clear their location has been blown now, and Chris knows it too judging by his wide eyes and his sudden attempt to scrabble to his feet. Peter might be able to run away fast enough, but Chris has no chance. The only option is to change the emotion Chris is emanating, to convince the strangers that they are not a threat.
So Peter pulls Chris back down by his jacket lapels and kisses him. At best, Chris will respond positively. If he gives off horny vibes, the strangers may read the earlier fear and vitriol as anticipation for sex and give them a wide berth completely.
Chris seems more confused than anything, and yeah, confused he can work with. Confused is better than angry. Chris still tries to push away, his instinct still to get up and run, but Peter tightens his grip, flips them over so he’s straddling Chris, and deepens the kiss so that he’s literally forcing Chris’ head to the ground. He presses his hips down against Chris’, more to pin him down completely than for any sexual gratification (but hey, Peter was dead just a few weeks ago, he’s definitely going to take some enjoyment out of this.) Chris’ right hand pushes at Peter’s chest, his left still curled around the knife, but his movements are confused and erratic. If he wanted to, Chris could easily throw him off, but he doesn’t. He kisses back, and Peter can feel his desperation and sadness. It’s only then that he remembers Victoria. Kissing a werewolf is possibly the worst thing Chris could do to his wife’s memory, and it may be the best way Chris feels he can punish himself.
In the end, the whole thing only lasts a few moments, but time does seem to go slower when your life is on the line. He hears the footsteps change direction, and in the end it had nothing to do with anything Peter did. The strangers’ paths changed because of a gunshot fired over in the direction of the Hale house.
Chris pushes Peter off him and scrabbles to his feet.
“I have to find Allison,” Chris says, brushing dirt off his knees.
“You think it’s the Alphas?” Peter asks.
“Probably not, but they may need our help anyway,” Chris says. “That was a good plan, what you just did. Never do it again.”
“Stop giving yourself away and I won’t have to kiss you,” Peter smirks at him. They have to laugh it off, really. Peter has Chris’ number now, but if he lets slip that he knows how much Chris hates himself for Victoria, Peter will be dead before he can draw in a breath. He worked too hard to claw his way back to life to give it all up again for an Argent.
“For that, I’ll let you be the one to explain why my scent’s all over you.”