Hatchetfield.

loved you more than the stars above

"Are you sure?" Pete asked for what must be the thousandth time.

Steph rolled her eyes. "I'm sure. I haven't changed my mind in the last two seconds."

Pete bit his lip, shifting awkwardly. "I just... I don't want to hurt you. I've never spent a full moon with anyone other than Ted."

"Hey." Steph said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're not going to hurt me. And if– if something goes wrong, I'll lock myself in the bathroom and call your brother, ok?"

Pete still looked unsure, but nodded anyway. "Just don't let me out of the apartment, ok? Ted made that mistake once and only found me at sunrise."

"I won't." Steph promised. "You won't be too cooped up or something?"

Pete shrugged. "I've managed every other full moon so far. I'm usually not too energetic."

"If you're sure. What'd you want to watch while we wait?"

—

About an hour later, Pete excused himself to the bathroom. Steph barely acknowledged him leaving, too caught up in the show they were watching. After a couple of minutes, there was a loud bang down the hall.

Steph paused the show and stood, tentatively moving towards the sound. "Pete? Are you alright?"

A whimper came from down the hall, and a wolf lumbered out of the bathroom.

Steph's breath caught in her throat. She'd hadn't really considered how big Pete might be– she'd assumed he'd be about the size of a husky, if not slightly bigger. He was much bigger. He could definitely knock her over without much effort.

Of course, she wasn't at risk of that. Instead, Pete shuffled slowly down the hall, head down, and seemingly waiting for her reaction. As he approached, the living room lights illuminated him, allowing her to get a better look.

His fur was a dark brown. Just from looking at it, she could tell it was incredibly thick. His eyes were the same dark brown as always, watching her warily as he got closer.

"Hey Pete," Steph said softly. "Are you ok? I heard a noise."

Pete didn't appear to react to her words, but raised his head ever so slightly when she spoke.

"Are you nervous?" She asked, a fond smile on her face. "There's no need. Come here, nerd." She gestured for Pete to join her in the living room as she spoke.

Pete perked up at that, trotting the rest of the way to her. He sat at her feet, staring up at her with a hopeful look in his eyes. His tail wagged ever so slightly, and Steph grinned as she patted his head.

"You're so cute like this." She commented. Pete yapped, pulling away from her hand to lie down. She watched him, confused, until he rolled on to his back.

He stared up at her expectantly as she laughed, before reaching down to rub his stomach.

"I don't know why you were so worried." She commented, eyeing the way his tail thumped excitedly against the floor.

Pete, as expected, didn't reply. Steph gave him one final pet before standing up. Pete immediately rolled back on to his stomach, letting out a confused whine.

Steph smiled at him fondly. "I'm getting you food, nerd. Come on."

She still wasn't certain if Pete could understand her, but he followed as she walked into the kitchen. He sat patiently in the doorway as she rooted through the fridge.

After a minute, she produced a roll of salami. She cut it up into smaller pieces before placing it in a bowl. She set it on the ground for Pete and watched as he ate.

"It feels weird to feed you like a dog." Steph said. "Although, I guess you technically are right now. Still."

Pete finished eating and looked back up at her. Steph took the bowl, placing it in the sink.

She turned back to Pete, who simply stared at her. "So. What now?"

—

True to Pete's word, he was not too energetic. In fact, he seemed perfectly content to lay around all night. After feeding Pete, Steph sat back on the couch, intending to continue the show, and ended up with a lap full of wolf.

She laughed as he moved to get comfortable– something that was extremely difficult for him to do on the tiny couch.

"Settle down!"

Pete adjusted himself a few more times before complying, resting his head on the armrest. Steph smiled down at him, running one of her hands through his fur while she pressed play on the show.

She let in run in the background as she focused on Pete. She continued to run her hand through his fur, admiring how soft it was. Pete seemed mostly asleep, letting out soft little breaths as she pet him. She reached up to scratch behind one of his ears, her smile widening when he leant ever so slightly into her hand.

They stayed like that for a while– Steph petting Pete while he dozed. She was almost afraid to say anything and break the moment, but the words were right on the tip of her tongue. Words she had been wanting to say for a while now.

"I love you, you know?" She said quietly.

One of Pete's ears twitched and he let out another soft breath, but he didn't otherwise react.

"Maybe you'll remember this," she continued, mostly to herself. "Or maybe I'll have to tell you again. But I do. I really, really do."

And as she watched Pete sleep in her lap, she hoped that she'd be able to tell him again tomorrow– this time to his face.