Scott has finished early with the kids today. Well technically. He had left Liam in charge of the boys because aside the fact that the school is the last place he feels like being at, he figured Liam needed a wake up call. The beta was in severe denial and nothing he has tried so far has helped. Liam seems to never want to acknowledge the fact that the responsibility of protecting Beacon Hills and its oblivious inhabitants will soon fall right on his shoulders.

A part of him wondered if he should resort to drastic measures. Perhaps a kind of shock therapy, a faux attack to get Liam on track. Slacking off was not an option. He needed to bring out the possessiveness inside the beta. Not just any kind of possessiveness but the kind he felt for Beacon Hills. As an alpha.

It was 1pm and the sun was flaring up like crazy but so was his stomach. He hadn't had breakfast before leaving home and he was beginning to regret his life choices.

He mounted his dirt bike and put on his helmet, starting the engine. Backing out of the lot, he zoomed towards.. well the general direction of "town" because he needed food and perhaps get lunch for his mom. His thoughts wandered to things around him. Things happening in his life and the lives of those he cared about.

Often he wondered about Kira. What was going on with her. If she was okay. How was her training going so far and how long will it take for her to complete her training. Should he wait? What was the rule for things like these? Do you qualify as a long distance relationship if you haven't spoken for months and for the most part, have no idea where your girlfriend is? He sighed softly, revving the engine once again as he tried to get his thoughts away from the angst in his life. One girl friend dies in your arms and the other gets possessed. Sort of. It's almost not worth getting committed to someone but somehow, Stiles and Lydia make it work.

Malia was ...well, she wasn't running, that's for sure even though she knew Scott will argue otherwise. She was retreating into her comfort zone... for some comfort. She didn't see why and how that was such a bad thing. In any case, her presence made Stiles uncomfortable for some reason and she knew she shouldn't care but a part of her feels a certain fear that she might lose her pack because of a useless misunderstanding such as this one. Stiles has always loved Lydia. Lydia has finally started to return those feelings. That is how the human world works. When two people love each other, it's only normal for them to be together and if only one person is doing the loving, there really is no cause for a relationship.

She sighed again, surprised that even with the loud music crashing into her ear drums from her headphones she could still hear her thoughts loud and clear. Must be the blasted werecoyote senses.

He wondered where Malia was at this time of day and realized the answer just popped into his mind without struggle. The sun was up, she had nothing to do... the only place to be will be the woods. Scott wondered if she had had breakfast, and if so, if she has had lunch and wondered if he should just buy enough lunch for them and take it to the look out point to eat with her. Maybe that'll get her out of her thoughts. It bothered him that a girl who usually just spew whatever came into her mind, was now guarding her thoughts as though she were afraid they'll be known by anyone.

But he wanted to know. Maybe it was curiosity. Or plain boredom but all he knew was that he wanted to know what she was thinking about. Why she smelled so confused and why she has suddenly taken a liking to the look out point. Malia was getting her mind worked up trying to figure out things for herself. Malia was handling all of that alone and that bothered him more than it had bothered him when Isaac and Allison started dating. Malia was...

Malia was walking a few meters ahead of him and seemingly without any inclination that he was near. Smiling lightly to himself, he sped up his bike and stopped abruptly beside her, grinning at her reaction to the sudden disruption of her serenity. All anger seemed to evaporate the moment she realized who was on the bike and Scott pulled his helmet off, a goofy smile already on his face.
"Hey."

"My god! What the hell?" Malia finally managed to growl out. She hadn't heard him but judging by the smile and the brief curve of his lips she had a fair idea of what he had said. Not wanting to do any more lip reading she pulled her headphones down, the displeased look still plastered on her features.

Scott flinched at her loud voice then breathed a sigh of relief when she took the headphones off. He shrugged unapologetically at her "Not my fault you didn't hear me coming. What happened to your senses?"

The scowl fell off her face at that and she simply shook her head at him. Scott was just.. well, he was Scott. It's hard to stay mad at him for long. In fact it is almost exhausting. "You know, some people will be offended by that question." She says instead, leaning on one leg and crossing her arms on her chest.

"But you're not." He managed simply, still not an inkling of apology in his demeanour.

Malia considered dragging it on but knew when to make peace and forget it. Scott was Scott and his lack of involvement is enough to make one lose motivation to fight him. Sometimes she wondered how creatures can hate him. Do they not see the crooked jaw, the crooked smile and those lovely brown eyes? "Ehh. Why bother. You're off early today." Totally giving up.

"Yeah I left Liam in charge. They didn't need that much help today." Scott replied with a shrug, his eyes perusing Malia's face.

"Uh-huh" Something about the way she said that may have had implications because his eyes locked on hers, eyebrows raised in question. She was sure there was more to just the team not needing help and she was sure she was at least 10% part of that reason.

"What?" Scott asked when it seemed Malia wasn't going to answer his silent question.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." She shook her head for emphasis.

Scott stood there for a while, not saying anything before he heard his stomach grumbling and was reminded of what he has been on his way to do before running into her. "Hey you wanna get lunch with me?" He asked with a smile, picking up his helmet again but not wearing it yet.

"Depends on what we're getting." Malia replied, already beginning to salivate. She only ate toast for breakfast and didn't even bother with juice. She had drunk water and gone right back to bed because she was feeling too lazy to put much effort into making breakfast and now ...

"Anything you want. I just want food, to be honest." Scott replied with a grin.

"KFC. Let's get fries and chicken." She says a little too eager but not caring. This was Scott and there was no reason to hide her true self from him. According to Lydia you sometimes have to act a lot more refined than you actually are when you're dating a guy. Her brows furrowed in wonderment. She wasn't dating Scott so she didn't get why she likened that to this situation.

"Sure. Hop on." Scott ignored the rapid shifts in Malia's scent and handed her the spare helmet before wearing his.

"Who's paying?" Malia asked as she climbed in behind Scott and almost instantly felt the vibrations from the alpha.

"You never change." Scott managed amidst chuckles. He hadn't thought his voice had been audible enough but then heard Malia's response and knew she had heard him.

"I see no reason why." She shrugged, wrapping her arms around his waist not because she was a sacred little girl but she just preferred that. Particularly when she was riding with Scott.

"Me neither." Was Scott's silent response.

In comfortable silence they rode all the way to the mall, dismounted the bike and headed in to get their fries. Malia still had those ridiculously large headphones around her neck but at least she had turned the music off now.

The two walked side by side into the mall, both checking different stores of interest. Malia checked out the clothes and shoes because she was sure Lydia would want to shop before heading out of town and Scott checked out the hardware stores they walked by. He was going to be the sole custodian of the jeep in a few days and he was sure he didnt have the faith to drive a car with that much duct tape holding things together. He would have to make a few changes to that.

They finally got to the food court and placed their order, seeming to silently agree to eat there rather than take out. It took a few minutes for their food to be served and they sat eating, occasionally chuckling at something funny, or Malia stealing fries off Scott's plate and thinking she got away with it.

After a while, when their food was almost finished from their plates, Malia decided to break the tension. Why, she has no idea. Perhaps she just felt the need to be to Scott what he has been to her these last few weeks. "So..?"

"So what?" Scott asked around a mouthful of fries, brows raised at an absurd angle as though his question wasn't enough.

"You know sometimes I worry about you." Malia managed after a while. She didn't even know what she was saying or why she was telling him that now of all times.

"Wonder why." He managed. He had been taken aback by her words not because it was a big surprise but because her voicing it out was. Malia isn't a talker. She especially didn't talk about feelings, particularly hers and that was partly the reason why he gave that noncommittal answer. The last thing he wanted was to make her feel uncomfortable.

"Dunno." She mused, this time boldly breaking off a piece of his chicken and shrugging at his raised brows before chuckling.

"C'mon there must be a reason. Things just don't happen y'know." Scott says after swallowing the last fry on his plate. He contemplated chewing the bones but thought better of it. Some other time.

"Right." Malia shrugged, looking down into her plate. She had also finished her fries. "Are you still going to UC Davies?" Even she wondered where the question came from.

Scott wiped his fingers on a tissue and leaned back in his seat, stretching oit his long legs under the table. "That's still the plan. I wanto be a vet." He replied honestly and reached for a tooth pick.

"I'm not sure who I want to be." Malia mumbled demurely, almost to herself. Yes she had wanted to graduate with them so bad and had worked so hard at it because she didnt want to lose her friends but that was the end of her dreams really. Now she had no idea what to do for a career. Lydia is studying to be a lawyer, Stiles will be interning with the FBI in a few weeks, Scott wants to be a vet and then there's her. Perhaps she should go into the timber business. She scoffed at herself.

"It's no stress really. Your career is only a little part of who you are." Scott tried to appease her somehow.

"Unless you're a doctor and your name changes from Scott McCall to Dr. McCall." She quirked.

"Has a nice ring to it, now that you mention it." The alpha added with a grin and playful wriggle of his brows.

"Doofus." She managed, an endearing smile on her features as she shook her head at him.

Scott stood and placed another order to take away. His mom will not be expecting it but he figured it was his duty to surprise her with meals. Until she gets out of her dry spell in dating, that is.

Malia didn't need to ask who the food was for so she waited patiently for Scott's take out to be ready and watched as the alpha paid, making a mental note to pay the next time round. "You can drop me off at-" She started to say when they were out by his bike again.

"I won't be long at the hospital. I just have to give her her lunch and we can go wherever you want." Scott cut through her request. He simply mounted his dirtbike and waited patiently for her to succumb. It was almost 2pm, quite late for lunch but he didn't put it past Melissa McCall to even forget about lunch completely. "Hold on tight." He added subconsciously.

"I'm not afraid." Malia felt the need to clarify.

"And I don't doubt that." Scott managed with a smile at her before revving the engine and speeding out of the lot, heading to the hospital.

Somehow he was sure he will be spending the rest of his day -and part of the evening- on his back in the dried leaves at lookout point.