Malia Tate (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wildkingdom) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thepicketfencecliche2015-01-27 12:13 am
wildkingdom) wrote in thepicketfencecliche2015-01-27 12:13 am
Entry tags:
new york wolves } { of boyfriends and fathers
When they claimed the penthouse for their own, Malia laid claim to the roof. She never really had adjusted well to sleeping indoors, and while she could manage it most days, sometimes she just needed to be able to breathe. She didn’t drag a lot of furniture up there with her – just enough to be comfortable and not get burned by the tar of the roof. She can lean back, stare up at the stars and pretend, for a little while, that she’s back on the preserve and there’s nothing but her and the trees.
The illusion doesn’t last long, because she can see hear the cars and people bustling below her, but she can pretend for a little while.
Malia hears her footsteps before she actually catches her scent, the benefit of the door of the roof being downwind from her. As she gets closer, however, she picks up the scents of her soaps and water, and she picks her head up with a frown, her brow furrowing at that implications.
“You showered before coming up here?”
“Yeah,” Cora says softly as she settles on the lounge next to her, staring up at the stars. “I had to before Derek got home.”
Malia only frowns at her even more, the confusion coloring her features even more, before it dawns on her why she would have to do that. “You were with Stiles.” Then she pushes up in her seat, turning to face her more. “Oh my God, did you … ?”
Cora shakes her head quickly but she does shift uncomfortably in her seat. “I mean, we … did stuff, but … not that.”
Malia smirks a bit, distracted for the moment from her own issues in order to tease her sister. “You know, eventually you’re going to have sex, probably with this particular boy. You should probably actually learn to say the words.”
The other wolf glares at her for a moment, before shifting to settle on her back more. “It’s not happening yet. We just … ”
“Got each other off?” She can see Cora’s cheeks turn red in the moonlight, and she can’t help the teasing tone to her voice. “You are such a virgin.”
“Yeah, I am,” Cora fires back, shifting to face her cousin a little more. “But he’s being nice about this so you would think you should be too.”
“Hell no. Someone has to tease you about it.” But she teases out of love, Cora, so remember that. She stays there, watching her for a moment, before resting her head on her hand. “Want to talk about it?”
Cora pauses for a moment, taking a deep breath before resting on her side as well. “I just … I’m not really sure how … fast this is supposed to go, you know? He’s not a virgin. But you said it yourself, I can’t even say it, how can I actually do it?”
“You don’t have to do it. At least not right now.” Because she has to remind her of that. “You can just mess around with him, and I doubt he’ll keep pushing you if you don’t want to. If you’re uncomfortable, tell him to stop. Stiles is a good guy, he’ll stop. If you’re not … keep going.”
Cora nods for a moment, seeming to acknowledge that the words make sense. She knows that her sister hasn’t always been big on being vulnerable like that, or having someone get that close to her. Malia isn’t sure why she chose Stiles of all people, but she’s not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. The fact that Cora is finally willing to open herself up is a good thing.
She just has to make sure Derek doesn’t ruin it.
“Just don’t wait until you’re in love with him to do it.”
Cora frowns for a moment, before glancing back to her. “Why not?”
“Too much pressure. For both of you. Because it probably won’t be super great and you’ll only wind up disappointed. If you’re sure you want to do it, do it when you’re ready. Don’t try to make it special or anything – that’s overrated.”
Cora’s quiet after that, staring up at the stars as she thinks that over. Malia almost thinks she might be able to get away without talking about the elephant in the room, but from what Cora says next, she knows that isn’t going to happen.
“So Peter is your dad.”
She closes her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath as she tries to stamp down the swirl of emotion that comes with those words. In some ways, Peter’s always been like a father to her, similar to the ways that Laura’s been more like a mother than an older sister. And he’s right about them always been drawn to each other. But at the same time, it all feels like too much of a coincidence. Too convenient. The entire time, he was right there.
“Yeah. Peter’s my dad.”
“Are you okay?”
She takes a deep breath because no, she’s really not. She wants to be able to talk to her mother. She wants answers that clearly Peter doesn’t have. And she’s trying to reconcile the picture that the rest of the Hales have painted of Talia, the woman who put her in this position, with the reason that she doesn’t have her mother and her sister anymore, that she killed someone at the ripe old age of eight, and that she spent three years as a coyote.
“Your mom took Peter’s memories of my mother. Of me. Why would she do that?”
Cora glances over at Malia, and Malia knows that she’s asking the wrong person. Of all the Hales, Cora tries to avoid talking about her mother at all. It hurts in ways that Malia understands all too well, so she doesn’t try to push her to do so. But at the same time, it’s a valid question she didn’t feel like she could ask in front of Peter.
“I don’t know,” Cora admits. “I don’t think we’ll ever know.” She turns a bit, shifting so that she’s resting on her side. “You have him now, though. That’s what matters.”
“If he wants it.”
“He wants it.” Cora’s quick to reply and maybe she shouldn’t be, because Peter’s changed so much since the fire, but she has a feeling in her gut that that, at least, is true. “He may not realize that he does, but he does.”
Malia sighs softly, rolling over to look at the stars again. She doesn’t know how much of this to trust, but she has to trust something. “I hope you’re right.”
Cora is quiet again for a moment. “Me too.”
It’s not the most ringing endorsement, but at least it’s something.
The illusion doesn’t last long, because she can see hear the cars and people bustling below her, but she can pretend for a little while.
Malia hears her footsteps before she actually catches her scent, the benefit of the door of the roof being downwind from her. As she gets closer, however, she picks up the scents of her soaps and water, and she picks her head up with a frown, her brow furrowing at that implications.
“You showered before coming up here?”
“Yeah,” Cora says softly as she settles on the lounge next to her, staring up at the stars. “I had to before Derek got home.”
Malia only frowns at her even more, the confusion coloring her features even more, before it dawns on her why she would have to do that. “You were with Stiles.” Then she pushes up in her seat, turning to face her more. “Oh my God, did you … ?”
Cora shakes her head quickly but she does shift uncomfortably in her seat. “I mean, we … did stuff, but … not that.”
Malia smirks a bit, distracted for the moment from her own issues in order to tease her sister. “You know, eventually you’re going to have sex, probably with this particular boy. You should probably actually learn to say the words.”
The other wolf glares at her for a moment, before shifting to settle on her back more. “It’s not happening yet. We just … ”
“Got each other off?” She can see Cora’s cheeks turn red in the moonlight, and she can’t help the teasing tone to her voice. “You are such a virgin.”
“Yeah, I am,” Cora fires back, shifting to face her cousin a little more. “But he’s being nice about this so you would think you should be too.”
“Hell no. Someone has to tease you about it.” But she teases out of love, Cora, so remember that. She stays there, watching her for a moment, before resting her head on her hand. “Want to talk about it?”
Cora pauses for a moment, taking a deep breath before resting on her side as well. “I just … I’m not really sure how … fast this is supposed to go, you know? He’s not a virgin. But you said it yourself, I can’t even say it, how can I actually do it?”
“You don’t have to do it. At least not right now.” Because she has to remind her of that. “You can just mess around with him, and I doubt he’ll keep pushing you if you don’t want to. If you’re uncomfortable, tell him to stop. Stiles is a good guy, he’ll stop. If you’re not … keep going.”
Cora nods for a moment, seeming to acknowledge that the words make sense. She knows that her sister hasn’t always been big on being vulnerable like that, or having someone get that close to her. Malia isn’t sure why she chose Stiles of all people, but she’s not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. The fact that Cora is finally willing to open herself up is a good thing.
She just has to make sure Derek doesn’t ruin it.
“Just don’t wait until you’re in love with him to do it.”
Cora frowns for a moment, before glancing back to her. “Why not?”
“Too much pressure. For both of you. Because it probably won’t be super great and you’ll only wind up disappointed. If you’re sure you want to do it, do it when you’re ready. Don’t try to make it special or anything – that’s overrated.”
Cora’s quiet after that, staring up at the stars as she thinks that over. Malia almost thinks she might be able to get away without talking about the elephant in the room, but from what Cora says next, she knows that isn’t going to happen.
“So Peter is your dad.”
She closes her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath as she tries to stamp down the swirl of emotion that comes with those words. In some ways, Peter’s always been like a father to her, similar to the ways that Laura’s been more like a mother than an older sister. And he’s right about them always been drawn to each other. But at the same time, it all feels like too much of a coincidence. Too convenient. The entire time, he was right there.
“Yeah. Peter’s my dad.”
“Are you okay?”
She takes a deep breath because no, she’s really not. She wants to be able to talk to her mother. She wants answers that clearly Peter doesn’t have. And she’s trying to reconcile the picture that the rest of the Hales have painted of Talia, the woman who put her in this position, with the reason that she doesn’t have her mother and her sister anymore, that she killed someone at the ripe old age of eight, and that she spent three years as a coyote.
“Your mom took Peter’s memories of my mother. Of me. Why would she do that?”
Cora glances over at Malia, and Malia knows that she’s asking the wrong person. Of all the Hales, Cora tries to avoid talking about her mother at all. It hurts in ways that Malia understands all too well, so she doesn’t try to push her to do so. But at the same time, it’s a valid question she didn’t feel like she could ask in front of Peter.
“I don’t know,” Cora admits. “I don’t think we’ll ever know.” She turns a bit, shifting so that she’s resting on her side. “You have him now, though. That’s what matters.”
“If he wants it.”
“He wants it.” Cora’s quick to reply and maybe she shouldn’t be, because Peter’s changed so much since the fire, but she has a feeling in her gut that that, at least, is true. “He may not realize that he does, but he does.”
Malia sighs softly, rolling over to look at the stars again. She doesn’t know how much of this to trust, but she has to trust something. “I hope you’re right.”
Cora is quiet again for a moment. “Me too.”
It’s not the most ringing endorsement, but at least it’s something.