fourcolorlove | ship smashing shenanigans

"Ah. That sucks." Assuming that his sister actually liked her former partner, but she guesses that she did, if she originally had a kid with him. "Sounds like she's having a really bad time."

"She is. I'm trying to be there for her but honestly....there's no fixing what she lost."

He can take her to blow off steam but that's not going to work long term.

"When it comes to the bad stuff that happens to you, I don't think you can really fix it. You just have to see if things work out on their own, and ... figure out what the new normal is going to be."

Malia's figured this out in both herself and in other people. Not that she knew what Peter's normal was before the fire, but they've found a way to create some kind of relationship. And well ...

"I was in a car accident when I was a kid. My mom and sister were killed and I spent almost a decade living in the woods as a coyote. When Scott figured out how to turn me human again, I had to figure out how to human again, as well as deal with all the feelings about it and ... I had to figure out what my new normal was going to be. She probably has to do the same thing."

"Fuck, I'm sorry that happened to you."

It seems like something to say. But he also takes a sip from his drink, nodding a little.

"I was thinking of taking her out some night, maybe help her blow off some steam."

"Can't hurt," Malia nods. "Sometimes punching things can be very satisfying." Especially when they're real assholes. She knows she shouldn't be advocating for violence, but sometimes people deserve it.

"And I know just the right targets." Has he been casing places to look for a good option? Maybe.

"Good. Sounds like you're heading in the right direction."

The front doors swing and Malia glances over out of habit. Then she rolls her eyes, and turns to Diego with a sigh.

"I'm sorry in advance."

His eyes follow hers over to the door.

"Should I be worried?"

"To be determined."

"What is?" a tall man asks as he comes up to the bar behind Malia. If Diego looks close enough he can see the familial similarities, but Malia doesn't treat Peter like her father any more than she has to.

"Your mood." Malia glances back to Diego. "Peter, Diego, Diego, Peter."

"Making friends already, I see."

"Nice to meet you," Diego says offering a hand, because he was taught manners and he did pick up on the familial similarities. So he figures it's probably good to make a good first impression.

"He helped me with the hunter problem," Malia fills in. "Helped get rid of the body and everything."

Peter's eyebrows go up. "You mean you've finally made a friend who doesn't think hugs and inspiring speeches will make everything better? This is going so much better than I thought."

"Speeches don't do as much as action does." And hugs were never something Diego got a lot of growing up. He's a softie despite appearances though, but probably best Peter doesn't know that.

Yeah, Peter wouldn't appreciate it. His daughter will, though, even if she doesn't seem like it right off the bat. Peter smiles at Diego's response and nods. "Precisely."

"Anyway," Malia sighs, because she doesn't want to waste any more time allowing Peter to obliquely disparage Scott. "What's the word from out there?"

"Quiet for now. But I would suggest you spend a few more days here just to be sure."

Malia makes a face but nods. "Fine. Are Derek and Cora okay?"

"They're fine. They'll be pleased to know you're safe."

"My brother tells me this place is a safe haven for people trying to lay low. She should be safe here for a couple of days."

Maybe it's not his place to speak but he's not one to just remain silent either.

"Are you going to stick around for a few days?"

Peter shrugs. "Chris and Melissa probably shouldn't be left to their own devices."

Malia rolls her eyes. "You can't just third wheel them into being friends with you."

He smirks before pushing away from the bar. "I've done more with less." Malia waits until he's out of earshot before shaking her head.

"Sorry about him. Though he was actually relatively nice to you for Peter."

"So Peter's your dad, I take it?" At least that's the vibe he got. Not a close relationship if she calls him Peter but he's not one to judge bad relationships with fathers. Even if this version of Reginald never raised him.

"Bio-dad. My adoptive dad lives back in Beacon Hills." They're also fairly close, in terms of Peter and his capability to be close to anyone, but he'll still always be Peter. "We didn't meet until I was a teenager. It's complicated, he's complicated, but ... he tries."

He cares whether she lives or die, which is more than she could say for her bio-mom.

"Look I get it. Parents are complicated. At least he tries."

Which is more than can be said about the low standards Reginald Hargreeves has created for fathers.

"He does. And my bio-mom tried to kill me. Twice." So in a lot of ways, the bar is in Hell as far as supportive biological parents are concerned. "So as long as he stays on that side of the line and doesn't murder my friends, we'll be fine."

"I never knew my bio parents. But I mean...they did technically sell me, so it's not great." Even if he knows Reginald probably made it very hard to say no to his offers.

"Is murdering your friends something you have to worry about with him?"

"Not in a while."

She's never sure it's completely off the table with Peter - she's sure that if someone gave him the opportunity, he would seize the chance to be an alpha again without hesitation. But he also seems equally invested in trying to maintain his relationship with her, so he's stopped eyeing Scott like he's a piece of meat, but will judge him for his altruistic tendencies.

"When I was a teenager he had some time when he was ... not well, mentally speaking. But he's been making more of an effort so I don't cut him off completely." Or shove him back into Eichen House.

"Well, an effort is good." Though if Diego's dad made an effort, even this alternate version of him, he would not trust it for a minute. But maybe Peter is more trustworthy than Reginald Hargreeves.

It wouldn't be hard.

It would not. And Malia would be lying if there wasn't a part of her that was worrying about Peter cracking again and backtracking on all the effort he's put in to get Malia to trust him and actually be a valued part of her life. But for now he mostly seems to be interested in auditioning to be the third in Chris and Melissa's relationship (a goal he will likely never achieve), but honestly it's good for him to have goals that don't end in murder.

"It is. But that leaves me stuck in this hotel with nothing to do for a few days."

"Do you want to help me? I've been patroling to see if there's any trouble." With the Sparrows out there Diego doesn't really feel like they're safe and doing recon helps him stay calm.

"Sure."

She can do recon. It is a way of killing time, but unfortunately she has a lot of time to kill.

"How far out are you patroling?"

ship smashing shenanigans

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