The sun beats down on the beach around them and Malia leans back into it like a sprawling cat in a sun patch. Eventually she will make her way down to the water, eventually she will join in the holiday weekend festivities but for right now she just wants to bask in the sun and ignore the rest of the world.
The Kirsanov beach house that they have all been invited to for the summer is a bit small for having the entire pack and their significant others and children along for the ride, but it’s a comfortable kind of closeness. The kind of closeness that reminds her of when they all were too nervous to step out of each other’s shadows after the fire, and while she’s glad that that tension and anxiety has faded from their lives (for now) she’s grateful that everyone is together again.
“You’re going to bake lying around like that,” Peter comments from his safe and shaded position underneath the big beach umbrella that they had brought with them.
“That’s kind of the point,” Malia replies, flashing him a smile under her sunglasses but staying where she is under the beat of the summer sun. “I like being warm.”
“But you won’t like the sunburn you’ll get later.”
She rolls her eyes – most sunburn a werecoyote will receive will be healed in a few minutes anyway, and all she’ll be left with was the golden tan. Perhaps it might have been taking their healing abilities for granted, but Malia just thinks that if they don’t have any other reason to use them, they might as well take advantage. “I will be fine. If you didn’t want to be in the sun, why did you come out to the beach?”
Peter’s quiet, his eyes drifting over to the group playing volleyball, including Derek, Kate, Jeremy, Nadia, Nik and Victor. They linger on Nadia for a moment, before turning back to his daughter. “I’m spending time with my family.”
She smirks. “Nadia made you, didn’t she?”
“I’m over forty years old, I think I can make my own choices.”
“But when those choices involve doing something you hate, it’s probably best to assume that you chose it because she made you.”
Peter rolls his eyes before turning back to his book. “You’ll see that I have a point about the sunburn you know.”
“Don’t worry, I’m wearing sunscreen,” she sighs. “And you know she just likes spending time with you, right?”
“I do,” Peter nods. “And I’ve noticed you making some concessions lately for your own mate.”
She wrinkles her nose before shrugging. “It’s not really about concessions. You make it sound like we’re bartering a deal.”
“Aren’t you? Derek didn’t text me for my venison burger recipe for nothing.”
“No, he didn’t, but that was one time. Most of the time we just talk stuff through, like sane people. Maybe we won’t get everything we want, but most of the time we wind up walking away happy.”
“That’s good,” he sighs, before leaning back in his chair again. “Nadia and I have always been a chess match. For better or for worse. I think you’ll find that couples find their own ways to make sure things are working between them.”
“Still, it must suck if you come out the loser a lot,” she replies and Peter smirks as Nadia makes her way back over for water break.
“Trust me. I never lose.”
Malia shakes her head, getting up to go take some time in the water, and as she’s reaching the waterline, getting about knee deep in the surf, she feels something hit her from the side as she goes crashing into the saltwater. If it weren’t for the flash of his scent that hits her before she hits the water, she probably would have reacted a lot differently, but instead she manages to get a lungful of air before her head disappears underwater and she forces her way up to the surface again.
“Did you really need to do that?” she sputters as she comes up and Jeremy laughs.
“Only just the once,” he grins. “Couple right of passage.”
She rolls her eyes, before inching a bit closer, letting her weight sit back a bit so that most of her body was submerged in the cool water. “Now that you’ve gotten it out of your system –”
“You are completely safe. No more water pranks from me.” He then tips his head. “I was starting to think you were never going to leave that patch of sun though.”
“It was a pretty good patch,” she teases. “Though Peter was teasing me that I was going to burn.”
“He is pretty intense about that whole sun damage thing.”
“He has his reasons.” She wraps her arms around Jeremy’s neck.
“You know, it’s nice to see your whole family together like this, without everyone’s lives being in danger.”
She laughs. “You should see us at Thanksgiving. There are costumes.”
He squints at her. “How do you have costumes on Thanksgiving?”
“Well, it used to be that the Hales were the pilgrims and the Castles were the Native Americans but now that Hal and Alexis are married, the Masons usually wind up being the pilgrims and everyone else is the Native Americans, but it works. Even if the story is just bullshit that white people used to make themselves feel better.”
“It sounds like fun time.”
Malia smirks as she turns to face him more. “I know you like to go home for Thanksgiving with Jenna and Elena but if you ever wanted to stay up here one year, we’d be happy to have you.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Good.” She then smirks as she turns away from the beach and back to him. “So now that you’ve got me all wet, what are you going to do with me?”
He laughs, before leaning in to kiss her. “I can think of a few ideas.”
beach bums | new york wolves | 1,000 | set 8
The Kirsanov beach house that they have all been invited to for the summer is a bit small for having the entire pack and their significant others and children along for the ride, but it’s a comfortable kind of closeness. The kind of closeness that reminds her of when they all were too nervous to step out of each other’s shadows after the fire, and while she’s glad that that tension and anxiety has faded from their lives (for now) she’s grateful that everyone is together again.
“You’re going to bake lying around like that,” Peter comments from his safe and shaded position underneath the big beach umbrella that they had brought with them.
“That’s kind of the point,” Malia replies, flashing him a smile under her sunglasses but staying where she is under the beat of the summer sun. “I like being warm.”
“But you won’t like the sunburn you’ll get later.”
She rolls her eyes – most sunburn a werecoyote will receive will be healed in a few minutes anyway, and all she’ll be left with was the golden tan. Perhaps it might have been taking their healing abilities for granted, but Malia just thinks that if they don’t have any other reason to use them, they might as well take advantage. “I will be fine. If you didn’t want to be in the sun, why did you come out to the beach?”
Peter’s quiet, his eyes drifting over to the group playing volleyball, including Derek, Kate, Jeremy, Nadia, Nik and Victor. They linger on Nadia for a moment, before turning back to his daughter. “I’m spending time with my family.”
She smirks. “Nadia made you, didn’t she?”
“I’m over forty years old, I think I can make my own choices.”
“But when those choices involve doing something you hate, it’s probably best to assume that you chose it because she made you.”
Peter rolls his eyes before turning back to his book. “You’ll see that I have a point about the sunburn you know.”
“Don’t worry, I’m wearing sunscreen,” she sighs. “And you know she just likes spending time with you, right?”
“I do,” Peter nods. “And I’ve noticed you making some concessions lately for your own mate.”
She wrinkles her nose before shrugging. “It’s not really about concessions. You make it sound like we’re bartering a deal.”
“Aren’t you? Derek didn’t text me for my venison burger recipe for nothing.”
“No, he didn’t, but that was one time. Most of the time we just talk stuff through, like sane people. Maybe we won’t get everything we want, but most of the time we wind up walking away happy.”
“That’s good,” he sighs, before leaning back in his chair again. “Nadia and I have always been a chess match. For better or for worse. I think you’ll find that couples find their own ways to make sure things are working between them.”
“Still, it must suck if you come out the loser a lot,” she replies and Peter smirks as Nadia makes her way back over for water break.
“Trust me. I never lose.”
Malia shakes her head, getting up to go take some time in the water, and as she’s reaching the waterline, getting about knee deep in the surf, she feels something hit her from the side as she goes crashing into the saltwater. If it weren’t for the flash of his scent that hits her before she hits the water, she probably would have reacted a lot differently, but instead she manages to get a lungful of air before her head disappears underwater and she forces her way up to the surface again.
“Did you really need to do that?” she sputters as she comes up and Jeremy laughs.
“Only just the once,” he grins. “Couple right of passage.”
She rolls her eyes, before inching a bit closer, letting her weight sit back a bit so that most of her body was submerged in the cool water. “Now that you’ve gotten it out of your system –”
“You are completely safe. No more water pranks from me.” He then tips his head. “I was starting to think you were never going to leave that patch of sun though.”
“It was a pretty good patch,” she teases. “Though Peter was teasing me that I was going to burn.”
“He is pretty intense about that whole sun damage thing.”
“He has his reasons.” She wraps her arms around Jeremy’s neck.
“You know, it’s nice to see your whole family together like this, without everyone’s lives being in danger.”
She laughs. “You should see us at Thanksgiving. There are costumes.”
He squints at her. “How do you have costumes on Thanksgiving?”
“Well, it used to be that the Hales were the pilgrims and the Castles were the Native Americans but now that Hal and Alexis are married, the Masons usually wind up being the pilgrims and everyone else is the Native Americans, but it works. Even if the story is just bullshit that white people used to make themselves feel better.”
“It sounds like fun time.”
Malia smirks as she turns to face him more. “I know you like to go home for Thanksgiving with Jenna and Elena but if you ever wanted to stay up here one year, we’d be happy to have you.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Good.” She then smirks as she turns away from the beach and back to him. “So now that you’ve got me all wet, what are you going to do with me?”
He laughs, before leaning in to kiss her. “I can think of a few ideas.”