new york wolves } of shopping and bonding

[babybeta]

Leah: [to the mall they go! She stops at the head of the building, looking around, before gesturing for Liam to move ahead of her towards Macy's.] Clothes first.

Liam: [nods] I don't have to wear like, preppy rich kid stuff, right?

Leah: You can wear whatever you want so long as it's not offensive.

Liam: What do you consider offensive?

Leah: Swearing, racism, sexism, you get the gist.

Liam: [nods, and curious how close to the line he could get]

Leah: [not very. She's going to be firm on this]

Liam: [and there they are, the issue at hand - he's boys size because he's tiny, but he wants to wear the young men's stuff.]

Leah: We can tailor anything that doesn't quite fit.

Liam: [looks up at her, unsure] I don't know which section is better. I don't want to wear kids’ clothes anymore. But the teen stuff is too big on me.

Leah: Well, let's try it on and see how it looks. You're still growing too, it might be worth it to get things a little bigger.

Liam: [he bites his lip, and then nods. He goes to find jeans that are close to his size, and then he's just picking up t-shirts. No real sense of style.]

Leah: [He's a kid. He doesn't need a sense of style. Once he's got a good stack, she'll gesture towards the dressing room] Let's try 'em on.

Liam: [and he will, and without the bulky sweatshirt once he has the jeans and t-shirt on - yup, tiniest wolf ever. And way too skinny]

Leah: [takes a step forward and tries to judge the fit] Not too bad. Once we get you on some regular meals, you'll put on some weight and fill out a bit.

Liam: [most of the shirts are character shirts from cartoons and movies. He looks at himself, and then up at her] I don't look like I walked outta goodwill?

Leah: [she shakes her head] Nah. Most kids your age wear clothes a little big for them.

Liam: I haven't really spent a lot of time around kids my age lately.

Leah: Well, we can help with that. We've even got a friend who coaches basketball at the Y.

Liam: I don't know how to play.

Leah: Fortunately for you, we know quite a few wolves who would be happy to teach you. [glances over at him] Are there any sports you used to play?

Liam: [shook his head] I can skateboard. And um... [he rubs the back of his head] I fight.

Leah: Like mixed martial arts?

Liam: [looks down at the ground] Not really...

Leah: [smirks] Like other kids pushed your buttons and you pushed back with your fists?

Liam: [bit his lip, almost like he was going to close up and then shrugged] More like in a warehouse fighting in a ring and getting money if I won.

Leah: Oh. [okay then] Well, we don't have a lot of that around here. But I can ask around and see if there's an MMA class we can get you in instead.

Liam: Can I make money off that?

Leah: No. Well, if you're good then maybe down the line, but not the way you were before. But if you need money for something you can just ask us.

Liam: Yeah, but I mean... you guys aren't always going to be around...

Leah: [she nods slowly] Yeah, but we have a lot of friends that are cops. We try not to tread on the illegal side right now.

Liam: What happens when you guys aren't around though?

Leah: [she considers for a moment] We could set you up with an allowance? Give you money that you can save or spend however you want?

Liam: [sighs, then looks at her] I mean when you get tired of me and kick me out.

Leah: And what makes you think we're going to do that?

Liam: Because that's what happens. People say they want to help, but after a few weeks it's too much and here's a bus ticket kid, good luck.

Leah: Well, I have no intention of putting you on a bus. I can handle a pain in the ass - I raised three of them.

Liam: Well, you and the alpha don't look like you really wanted a kid just yet to take care of.

Leah: And how do you know that?

Liam: [shrugs]

Leah: [sighs as she turns to face him] Don't make assumptions, alright? We're still getting to know each other and there's a lot you don't know about me.

Liam: [and he scowls] Yeah, well there's a lot you don't know about me either.

Leah: And I'm trying not to make assumptions about you. But as far as I'm concerned, I can handle whatever you've got to dish out. I'm tougher than I look.

Liam: [He just huffs and looks down at his sneakers, scuffing them on the floor before shrugging]

Leah: [sighs as she goes to crouch down in front of him] Look, I know you've got no reason to trust me. And it's my job to change that. But don't count me out yet, okay? I've got your back.

Liam: [he looked up at her and nodded a bit]

Leah: [small smile] Okay. So let's go ring these up and we'll check out the rest of the mall.

Liam: [he goes with her, and after a moment] I just have had it happen too much and I don't want to get close and get hurt again.

Leah: [she nods] I get that. I've been abandoned by people before too. It sucks.

Liam: You have?

Leah: [she nods] My dad went to jail when I was a kid, and then not long after that my mom ran out on us. I pretty much had to raise my siblings by myself.

Liam: What did your dad do?

Leah: Felony murder and armed robbery. [there's a beat] He didn't kill the guy, but he was the getaway driver, and when someone dies in the commission of a crime, everyone involved gets charged with murder.

Liam: Oh. Is he still in jail?

Leah: [she nods] Yeah, he's got another ten years or so on his sentence.

Liam: Do you miss him?

Leah: [snorts] No. But we weren't really that close. [her mom is the one that hit her hard] He was always pulling scams when we were kids - it was only a matter of time until he got caught.

Liam: Yeah, I get that. [thinks] Why'd your mom bail?

Leah: To hell if I know. [she shakes her head as they reach the counter and she pays for the clothes] She wasn't exactly forthcoming when she left beyond the fact that she wasn't coming back.

Liam: And she left just like that? Nothing after?

Leah: Nope. Haven't heard from her in ... god, my sister's twenty six now? And she was ten at the time.

Liam: That's longer than I've been alive.

Leah: Yep. I was eighteen and Kieran was sixteen, so we managed to stay under the radar of social services and keep all of us together.

Liam: [nods] you were better off that way. The system sucks.

Leah: Agreed. [they finish paying and start to head out towards the mall] And we got lucky. Kieran and Cormac both got into college on scholarships and I managed to find a job that provided insurance, so we figured it out.

Liam: So where are your siblings now?

Leah: Kieran is in ... Mongolia, I think. Doctors Without Borders. Cormac is still in the city - big business entrepreneur. And Fi ... I have no idea. She checks in once a week or so but she's usually in a different place every time. She likes to wander.

Liam: But you still talk to them. They didn't just leave you.

Leah: Oh, yeah. I would murder them if they didn't. [not literally]

Liam: [chuckles] I'm sure my brother would feel the same way.

Leah: Older siblings basically make it their job to keep their younger siblings in line.

Liam: Yeah, and Josh was good at that. He's the one who taught me to skateboard.

Leah: Yeah? Was he any good?

Liam: Yeah. To me. He could do this flip in the air backwards and land on his hand in a handstand before going back into the park.

Leah: Nice!

Liam: I miss him.

Leah: I'm sure you do. [rests a hand on his shoulder to pull him closer gently]

Liam: [leans against her as he walks] I just don't want to lose more people. If I don't get close, it's not losing them.

Leah: Yeah, I get that. But thing is? Getting close to people is risk we have to take because if we don't have people we love, then ... there are no stakes. Good or bad.

Liam: Is that why you're taking the risk with me?

Leah: Of course it is. [she smiles softly] For us, the stakes were having you here and possibly making off with some of our stuff, but that's just stuff. We can replace it. Not a big loss in the long run and if you don't, we get the benefit of having you around. Putting you out on the street runs the risk of you getting hurt or killed, and in the end that's on us because we could have protected you and we didn't. Personally I think the risk of you staying was easier to live with than the risk of letting you go to protect ourselves.

Liam: [nods] I get that. I think.

Leah: [smirks a bit] For me, I don't think kids should be left on their own. Kids should get a chance to be kids. It doesn't really last as long as you think.

Liam: I haven't been a kid in a long time.

Leah: Well, you could always go back to being a kid.

Liam: I can try?

Leah: [she nods] Take your time. Feel it out and see what happens.

Liam: [nods and as they are walking in the mall he sees the game store and just stops]

Leah: [stops with him and glances over] Want to check it out?

Liam: Is asking for an Xbox pushing the limits? I never had one before. My brother wanted one for Christmas...

Leah: [glances back to the store for a moment, before shaking her head] Nah. I actually think Nik has a PS 500 or whatever number they're on now, so adding an Xbox to it wouldn't be that big a deal.

Liam: I can get a few games too?

Leah: Sure. Just nothing too crazy or violent. [let's not get into her issues with Grand Theft Auto.]

Liam: We can look at them together? Maybe find one you'd like to play with me?

Leah: [grins at that] Sure.

Liam: [and there's a small smile] Cool.

Leah: C'mon. [and with that they'll go in and Leah will ask the clerk about how to buy the game console while Liam looks at the games]

Liam: [and he will be holding the Lego Star Wars, Lego Avengers, Assassin's Creed, Halo, and Minecraft]

Leah: [and she will glance and look them over, making a face at Halo, but she'll allow it, and reading through Assassin's Creed carefully]

Liam: If not that, maybe Dragon Age instead?

Leah: [she shrugs. They're both rated pretty high] We'll give it a try, and see.

Liam: [grins] Thank you.

Leah: But if I don't like what I'm hearing - [sexism, racism all that jazz] - I'm taking it back. [it isn't so much that she thinks he can't handle it, she just doesn't want to pay money to support it]

Liam: I understand.

Leah: Good. [and she'll add it to the pile of stuff they're getting]

Liam: [and he's going to look at accessories but doesn't really need anything, just looking.]

Leah: [and once that's all wrapped up] How do you feel about a laptop?

Liam: I never had my own computer before.

Leah: Well, around here you're probably going to need one. Victor's laptop is for work stuff, mostly, and Nik and I both have our own. We could probably get something that's good for gaming?

Liam: Okay.

Leah: [and she'll gather up their video game stuff and hand some of the bags off to him to carry] I think there's a Microsoft store over here.

Liam: Okay. Do any of you guys have a music collection at all?

Leah: Victor loves music.

Liam: Think he'll let me raid his cd's to upload music onto the laptop?

Leah: Sure. He's got a lot of LPs though, so some of the stuff you want might be on vinyl.

Liam: ....... How old is he?

Leah: [laughs] He's in his thirties. But a lot of them were his dads'.

Liam: Oh. But how does he listen to them in the car?

Leah: He also owns them on MP3s.

Liam: That's better.

Leah: [nods] But when he's in the house, he likes to listen to the records. Especially when it's jazz.

Liam: [his nose wrinkles]

Leah: [smirks] It soothes him.

Liam: If it floats his boat...

Leah: [she nods] He likes a lot of stuff though, so I'm sure you'll be able to find something you have in common.

Liam: I hope so.

Leah: He's got a whole wall of classic rock albums.

Liam: That's better. [still not his style, but better]

Leah: Good.

Liam: What do you listen to?

Leah: Whatever's on the radio.

Liam: No favorite bands at all?

Leah: Never really paid attention.

Liam: Lame. [teasing]

Leah: [she laughs] When you're raising three kids, you don't exactly have a lot of time to spend developing your musical tastes.

Liam: [scoffs] Well, we're going to need to fix that.

Leah: [snorts] Oh really?

Liam: Yup. Totally going to go to concerts until we find you something you like.

Leah: [laughs] Okay, then.

Liam: [grins, because yeah, concerts. He wants to go to concerts and they are in NYC so totally great place to get to them]

Leah: [she nods] Alright - computers.

Liam: Yup. [and he will get to the Microsoft store and his eyes will widen] Wow.

Leah: Yep.

Liam: [and he's going to just wander over to the laptops, trying to look at them and see what they are all about]

Leah: [and she will follow with him, occasionally pointing out features]

Liam: [after a bit] I kinda like this one. It can be a tablet and a laptop?

Leah: Yeah. I think you just fold it back and flip it around

Liam: And it's small so I can take it with me if I have to.

Leah: Yep. But you want to make sure it can run games, right?

Liam: Well, if I have the Xbox, I don't need it on my laptop too? I can get like... app games for the laptop.

Leah: I wasn't sure if you were into like ... World of Warcraft or anything like that.

Liam: I don't know what that is.

Leah: Never mind then.

Liam: [give him another year or two. and then he will be all over call of duty. but for now] So the Surface then?

Leah: That works.

Liam: [and he will go to that, getting the blue keyboard with it]

Leah: [perfect] Anything else we need to pick up?

Liam: A new pair of sneakers?

Leah: Yes. Let's find a shoe store.

Liam: [points at the converse store across the way]

Leah: Lead the way.

Liam: [and yup, they are in there and he's going to look at the ones in cool colors that are totally his style as a skateboarder]

Leah: [and she will just let him sort what he wants and makes sure everything fits him]

Liam: [and he's relaxing in each store, because they are spending a lot of money on him so it makes him a bit more secure that they aren't just going to toss him away]

Leah: [nope, spending lots of money to make sure he has everything he needs]

Liam: [and after sneakers, they will need to go get things like socks and underwear]

Leah: [yep, and after that, they will venture back to the apartment to bring everything home]

Liam: [and once it's all in his room, he will start to try and figure out where to put it all]

Leah: [and she will wander off to chat with her husband for a bit]

Liam: [and yeah, he's finally got most of it figured out, and then downstairs to go and set up that sweet Xbox]

Victor: [glances over with a smirk] I hear you've got the works.

Liam: Yeah, thanks. Do you play games?

Victor: Not in a long time.

Liam: You want to?

Victor: What have you got?

Liam: [lists off the games] The Lego ones are two player.

Victor: Then let's try one of those.

Liam: Star Wars or Avengers?

Victor: Star Wars.

Liam: [and he will get it set up and toss one of the wireless remote controls at him]

Victor: [which he catches easily and allows Liam to let him stumble through it]

Liam: [will stumble a bit himself at the beginning, but he's a fast learner]

Victor: [so is Victor, but video games are built for a certain age and adjustment level for a reason]

Liam: Come on, you can do better than that.

Victor: My thumbs are not meant to move this way. Forgive the old man his fallacies.

Liam: How old are you anyway?

Victor: Thirty four.

Liam: You're not that old.

Victor: Old enough to be out of practice with video games.

Liam: That's what happens when you spent time with records.

Victor: Hey, do not knock my records. You haven't truly heard music until you've heard it on vinyl.

Liam: If music was that good on vinyl, they wouldn't have made CDs.

Victor: [rolls his eyes] Just because humanity is obsessed with the new doesn't necessarily mean it's better.

Liam: Uh huh.

Victor: [sits up before hitting pause] C'mon. I want to show you something.

Liam: [but they were hitting a good point ;;] What?

Victor: [nope. lesson time. He gets up and gestures for him to follow him to his office] C'mon. It'll take five minutes.

Liam: [and he will sigh put push up off the floor and go to follow him]

Victor: [will move behind his desk before pointing to one of the chairs in front of it] Sit and close your eyes.

Liam: [and he will look around the office before doing so... but one eyes cracks open after a minute]

Victor: [glances over as he pulls a cardboard sleeve from the shelves] Close 'em.

Liam: [sighs but he does so]

Victor: [and he will put on this song on a record player.] Just listen. [And Liam will hear the hitch of the record starting and then with the vinyl he'll hear the sound in a way that just doesn't come through with digital. there's a richness to it, as well as a quality of sound that comes from the vinyl that doesn't transfer]

Liam: [and he listens, but he's 12, Victor. He doesn't hear things like that.] It sounds all hissy and scratchy.

Victor: Well ... yeah. It sounds real.

Liam: [he just shrugs. Nope, he doesn't get it]

Victor: [sighs] You'll understand when you're older.

Liam: So it's an old guy thing? [smirk]

Victor: It's an appreciation that comes with age.

Liam: [nods] If you say. Can we go back to the game now?

Victor: [nods] Yeah, sure.

Liam: Awesome. [and back to Legos they go]

Victor: [and they will totally play until dinner]

Liam: [and after they figure the controls out, they are actually a good team]

Victor: [yep! his werewolf reflexes do kick in eventually]

Liam: [and he doesn't really want to stop]

Leah: [shouting from the kitchen] C'mon you two! Dinner.

Liam: But we're not done with this level yet!

Leah: Can you pause it?

Liam: [whimpers]

Victor: [sighs] Yeah, that's not gonna work.

Liam: Fine. [and he will pause it] Eat fast?

Victor: Sure. So long as we don't choke on it.

Liam: I can handle that.

Victor: Alright. [and off to dinner they go, where Leah will make them sit and talk to her and eat slowly]

Liam: [well, the food is really, really good so he's not complaining too much. Just looking off towards the living room every few minutes]

Leah: [nope. sit and share your day, Liam]

Liam: So we went shopping and got a lot of things.

Victor: What else, in addition to the video games?

Liam: Clothes, sneakers, and a laptop.

Victor: Good. So you've got enough to get you started.

Liam: [nods] Yeah, I guess so. Thank you. [cause he knows Victor probably paid for a good part of that]

Victor: No problem. I'm just glad you found stuff you liked.

Liam: it was easy. Just had to promise not to but anything offensive on my clothing.

Victor: [he nods] A good compromise to make.

Liam: Yeah, it works for me. I like characters anyway.

Victor: TV, movies or comics?

Liam: Mostly comics. And Star Wars.

Victor: Star Wars. Excellent choice.

Liam: I love those movies.

Victor: We have all of them with the rest of the movie collection - that is, unless Fiona borrowed them.

Liam: I don't think I've seen the movie collection yet.

Victor: That's probably because most of it is Nik's.

Liam: Where is he anyway?

Victor: Having dinner with Laura Hale, I think.

Leah: [nods] Her husband is going to be out on a sting so he's keeping her company.

Liam: Those are the other werewolves in the city, right?

Leah: [she nods] The Hale pack moved here from California about ten years ago.

Liam: That's a long time ago.

Leah: [she nods] Yeah, it was.

Liam: And they aren't going back ever.

Leah: No. I think they've their goodbyes for now.

Liam: Oh.

Leah: They lost a lot of family there. Similar to what happened to you except it was hunters.

Liam: [and that makes his look at his plate, his hands going to his lap.] Oh.

Leah: [gives him a small smile] They recovered, though. And now they're stronger for it.

Liam: The hunters won't come after them again.

Leah: Nope. The one responsible is dead.

Liam: Good.

Victor: They claimed the Ivanov's territory after they abandoned it so they're choosing to make New York their home now.

Liam: [nods] And you like them, I take it.

Victor: We do. I have a feeling we're going to be joined into a mega-pack of sorts sooner rather than later. At least, if my sister has her way.

Liam: [he blinks] You have a sister too?

Victor: [nods] Nadia. She is between me and Nikolai.

Liam: And she is... friendly with one of the Hales?

Victor: [nods again] Peter. They are ... extremely friendly. She recently took him with her for a project she was working on in London, so I'm assuming it's only a matter of time before they make that relationship more ... permanent. [there's a beat before he remembers he's talking to a child] But this is speculation, not fact, and should not be brought up beyond this conversation.

Liam: Do you like him dating your sister?

Victor: I do. He makes her very happy.

Liam: Then why shouldn't you talk about it?

Victor: Because my sister is very particular and will probably accuse me of meddling.

Liam: But if you agree with her, how is it meddling?

Victor: Because she doesn't want it to seem like I'm trying to nudge Peter into a proposal he isn't ready for yet.

Liam: Oh. Is he the kind of guy who needs to get something slapped into his head?

Victor: No, no. But it's the kind of decision that needs to be made in it's own time, not because her brother is expecting it.

Liam: Oh, okay. I get it.

Victor: So I'm not nudging. Just ... waiting.

Liam: Do they have anyone in their pack my age?

Victor: No, unfortunately. But they do have a few who are in college, so not too much older than you.

Liam: [nods, but yeah, not close enough]

Victor: Sorry. The closest one after them would be Laura's baby but unfortunately they're not born yet.

Liam: ... And that's why Nik is there while her mate is at work?

Victor: That and they're friends who enjoy spending time with each other.

Liam: But so if they're friends, and your sister is friends with another... who are you friends with?

Victor: I can't be friends with all of them?

Liam: You can, but there's not one you like better than the others?

Victor: [he shrugs] They all have their enjoyable qualities.

Liam: [and he goes back to picking at his food] Well, you can hang around me too. When you two aren't together.

Victor: [smiles softly] I'd like that.

Liam: Cool. [and back to dinner because they have Lego things to do]

Victor: [yep, and eventually they go off and play again and we can skip unless there's something else you want to do here?]