Blacktail Deer Plateau All I ask of you

The softness in Atticus's voice tempted Peregrine to admit his thoughts and feelings, his uncertainty. No, he answered mentally, I'm not sure we are... But there was another sentiment, which was just as strong, that stayed his tongue. He remembered too well the tension caused by their mutual crushes on Hawkeye, as well as the fallout following their official pairing. Even more than he wanted to lean on his brother, he wanted to avoid harming their repaired relationship.

"Yeah, we're fine," he said as lightly as he could, wondering if his brother would see right through the fib. His eyes met Atticus's, quietly begging him to leave it alone, for the sake of their peaceful rapport. Peregrine never wanted to be at odds with Atticus again or risk opening up old wounds. He felt that discussing his issues with his mate was simply in bad taste. "Being parents is hell on a mate-ship, though," he quipped, still trying to sound offhanded.

After pausing and waiting for the feeling of vague awkwardness to pass, Peregrine cleared his throat and joked, "I was really hoping to get some nookie to take care of this morning wood." At least he sounded more more genuine with every word. "Guess I'll just have to go hump a tree or something. Or, wait, is that rabbit still warm...?" he joked crudely, wiggling an eyebrow.