Natural

Chapter 2

The Right Track

Peter hears four powerful engines well before the cars pull up in front of the market. He winces when one of the drivers keeps over torquing his shift. He's heard and seen those cars in the area often enough to be familiar with them. Though he hasn't seen their drivers up close yet.

Peter reconsiders coming here today, he's got a general feeling that things aren't going to go as he'd planned. His sudden change in mood draws Stiles attention. When Stiles gives him a look that clearly says he wants an explanation, he whispers low enough so that only his beta can hear. "Finish up. We need to go."

With the full moon just around the corner, they really can't afford any sort of excitement. The beta has been more than his usual bundle of excess energy and his mood swings are driving Peter to little outing had been meant to soothe both their tempers after an argument over when they would finally get an apartment had resulted in some... destruction of property.

Stiles glares at him with a special kind of resentment and defiance. Slowly, he reaches for a single fry then takes a small bite, not once wavering from the cold stare down with his alpha.

Peter raises an eyebrow, he considers the situation. Finally he huffs, relenting. The worst of Stiles' bad mood has passed, the risk of tempers flaring is rather minimal. "Just concentrate on what I've been teaching you." Much like Stiles, Peter just wants to finish his meal.

Stiles gives Peter a last shrewd look. The kind that says he's insulted that Peter thinks it needs saying. Stiles goes back to meticulously decimating his food without saying a word. Ornery little shit that he is. Peter will never say it out loud that he finds it endearing.

It doesn't help their mood that this is going to be the only warm meal they get today. Part of the routine they've built over the past several weeks since their arrival. An effort to keep a low profile given their nighttime activities; no unnecessary daytime outings.

During their first night in L.A. they'd found an abandoned factory to hole up in. It was out of the way, in the sort of neighbourhood that nobody would ask questions regarding any odd noises. It was also close enough that they could go back to the park every night in the hopes of finding some clue to get them home; something Stiles had been very insistent about doing. As Peter couldn't risk Stiles losing his shit on the crowded streets of L.A, he had graciously obliged. At the very least it bought them time to get some ground under their feet.

It took two weeks and Stiles' first full moon for the young werewolf to open up to Peter in any meaningful way. Old wounds had been picked open and purged. It had been a night of harshly spoken words on both their parts, along with a few wild swipes of claws which had actually drawn blood.

Peter had done his best to remain a patient yet unyielding alpha, not wanting to repeat the mistakes of the past. It had been the right approach to take with Stiles and they had begun to forge a true pack bond there after.

Stiles had also started accepting their situation after that; there was no going back to their old lives. They stopped the nightly visits to Echo park and Stiles threw himself into learning all that Peter could remember about the L.A. underworld. Albeit free of all supernatural elements, as everything else in this world seemed to be.

Two more weeks followed with Stiles polishing skills he'd already possessed but had never been able to fully develop. Of course it helped that as a werewolf, Stiles was capable of so much more than he had been as a human. They'd started with boosting crappy cars and moved on to cars with actual value in short order. It had never been a question of morality for Stiles, but that it had taken him time to really believe that Peter had their shared best interest in mind.

During that time they had managed to make some steady contacts with a few chop shops. Soon they'd have enough money saved up to set up some foolproof ID's and proper lodging for themselves. It wasn't near enough to live up to Peter's higher standards but it would do while he worked on better horizons.

Toretto's Market is the only regular place they frequent outside of the factory. They had originally stumbled across the small grocery/dinner at the end of their first week much to Peter's surprised relief. He hadn't been sure if the place would still exist in this world. The smell of fries had of course caught Stiles attention a few blocks away and Peter had used the opportunity to teach his beta some tracking skills. The market had turned out to be at an ideal distance from their temporary domicile - Peter refuses to call it their batcave.

They kept coming back because they both enjoyed the strong coffee and the food wasn't half bad. Stiles had pointed out that the waitress, Mia, reminded him of a younger Melissa. Not so much in looks but he'd said they shared the same vibe. Stiles liked the place enough that he had wanted to keep coming back. Peter had been glad for the excuse to find out if these Torretos were anything like those he remembered. So far, this version of the werewolf pack he knew in his teens seems a shell of what it's meant to be.

They come here at least three times a week now. Usually early in the morning or early lunch when the market was at its quietest.

Peter had suspected that there was something shady going on with this little market from the beginning. Along with the neighborhood garage, DT's, that's run by Mia's older brother Dom. The cars that are now parked outside the market for example; have a lot more money under the hoods than they let on. Between the market and the garage there is no way they were pulling in enough money to supply all that.

His curiosity had been piqued for certain. He knows what those cars are used for, though he hasn't been able to track down the races before they start. They're too new to the scene for anyone to trust them yet. He knows that with the right resources he can easily out drive them all though. He could build a good pack for himself and Stiles, but for that to happen he needs an in.

It's part of the reason why he doesn't want Stiles to get into one of his moods and pick a fight with one of Torreto's goons. It would put an unpleasant kink in his plan. Not that he wouldn't be able to go with a different plan, he has many. This one is the one he prefers though, it's why he's been paying as close attention to them as he could without arousing suspicion.

Peter shoulder checks to see the crew of gear heads talking about their rides. He knows the type and scoffs at their banter. The four of them are gathered around a blue Maxima. It's not a bad ride, the only automatic of the bunch, it would do better with a different driver behind the wheel though. He wishes he could show them what those cars would be capable of with him behind the wheel. He longs for the days when he could escape everything in the large crowds and feel free to use all his talents behind the wheel of an obscenely fast car.

Peter looks back around to Mia, who had been shamelessly flirting with the blonde at the other end of the counter, a recent regular. With the new arrivals however, she now has a pinched look on her face. He can smell some low grade anxiety wafting off of her. Peter isn't sure why she would be worried about her brother's gang showing up, especially with the man sitting in the lock out cage in the back. It's not unusual for Dom to have his lunch here but Peter has only ever seen the back of him.

Stiles is still firmly ignoring everything, concentrating on savoring his food. Peter is glad for it when he catches a big guy marching towards the counter like he's got a serious bug up his ass.

The sound of a bowl sliding down the counter and crashing against the blonde's plate breaks Stiles's focus. Peter rolls his eyes and presses his hand firmly on his beta's neck. Whatever this is about, isn't their problem, they can't afford to draw attention to themselves.

Mia shoots Peter a quick perceptive look. She gets the big man's attention after shouting at him a bit, Vince, is the moron's name. The rest of the gearheads have spread out around the market to observe the scene. From what Peter overhears, it appears this particular song and dance over Mia's affection isn't something new.

Clearly the big guy has a thing for the girl. Peter almost snorts loudly at how ridiculous this whole thing is but Mia seems to be used to it and she's obviously not afraid, irritated is more accurate.

The blonde catches on that he should clear off; paying his bill even if he's not finished his shitty tuna sandwich. Peter thinks that maybe he'd been worried for nothing.

Unfortunately for Peter, those two idiots are just that; idiots. Brian, the blonde, casually tells Mia he's coming back tomorrow before making his exit. Vince, who can't catch on that Mia isn't interested in him, takes chase.

Things are escalating too quickly for Peter's liking. Nothing good is going to come from should leave but Peter doesn't want to draw undue attention to Stiles right now.

"Go to Fat Burger and get a cheeseburger and fries for 2.95, you faggot!" Vince shouts out.

Peter's eyes harden in aggravation. He's no longer as inclined to mind his business. A wolfish grin threatens to pull at Peter's disinterested mask. This is going to get ugly.

In the background Mia shouts at Vince to cut it out but it's too late.

Peter decides to let this play out some more, he's curious to see how Stiles will handle this. He manages to keep his grip and rises with the beta when he shoots out of his seat. Stiles' chair goes tumbling back loudly, his plate of fries clatters on the floor as he twists around.

Everyone stops, even the pair of twits fighting over a girl in a parking lot.

The air grows heavy with tension at the unexpected outburst. The focus has shifted from where the fight had been to them.

Stiles is wound up tight, struggling to keep a hold over himself, over his wolf. Peter wants to avoid going Alpha to keep control over his beta, there's just too many people around. He squeezes Stiles neck a little harder, "Stiles!" He warns with a subvocal growl in the other werewolf's ear.

"You got a problem with faggots?" Stiles yells out, full of challenge and anger. He's blatantly fighting the tenuous hold Peter has on him. Making it obvious what his position on the subject is.

The fact that Peter is still holding onto his neck is causing the others to send some serious side eye towards them. He raises a cocky eyebrow in defiance. Peter has never cared what others thought of him; he knows exactly who and what he is. Unashamedly so.

Stiles though. Peter has known for a long time that Stiles does care even when he says he doesn't.

Peter's grip is still firm, the barest hint of his nails digging in. Still, he hesitates to take this moment and leave. He's not above letting Stiles get the fight he's been itching for, despite knowing that it would be better to go now. With the help of Peter's strong presence and the amount of work Stiles has been doing pays off and the younger 'wolf doesn't shift. There's still a look of barely restrained rage in his youthful face that's so out of place it has some others looking uneasy.

It's a rather emotional subject for Stiles at the best of times. When so close to the full moon, it's not unexpected for him to get so angry even if the comment hadn't been directed at him.

A few nightmares (along with some dreams that leave Stiles smelling of arousal and shame) about someone named Theo, had told Peter a lot. He hadn't pushed because Stiles obviously wasn't ready to have that conversation. Shortly after they'd come to their understanding though, Stiles had spoken up and filled in the blanks on what had happened while Peter had been away. In the end, Peter had simply stated that; as an equal opportunist himself, among his general history of dubious morality, he was in no position to judge Stiles about anything.

Peter had noticed some new glances sent his way afterwards that had him strangely at odds as to how he should proceed.

Vince gives them a rather dirty look, like he can't believe Stiles has the balls to call him out. "Little twink like you should know his place and run home with Daddy." The big man tosses the retort with a dismissive wave.

That had definitely been the wrong thing to say.

Peter smirks and he whispers quietly in Stiles' ear, "Don't kill him." Peter lets go of the grip he has on his beta's neck. He watches proudly as Stiles marches fearlessly towards a man who's about three inches taller than him and an obvious fighter.

Behind them, Peter hears Mia shouting for her brother to get off his ass and do something.

Dom had a feeling his day would go sour when Blondie showed up for more of Mia's terrible tuna sandwiches. The crew was coming in for an early lunch and Vince has been taking offence at the other man's obvious intentions. Not that Vince had any right but Dom normally gets a kick out of watching those two morons fight over his sister. It's not like they stand a chance in hell with her anyway. It's starting to get old though and his patience is running thin with Vince's attitude lately.

He keeps an ear out for the cars while he eats his lunch. He tries to reassure himself that they're always late anyway, Blondie should be gone by then. The place is pretty much empty aside from the other two new regulars.

They're an odd pair and Dom still has no idea what their exact deal is. He's also got the feeling that they've been watching him as much as he's kept an eye on them.

They don't get many folks from out of the neighborhood in these parts. It had been easy to tell that they didn't want to bring any attention to themselves but he hadn't known why. They'd made a good impression on Mia despite being suspicisous as fuck. They were polite and their spanish was decent. They always paid cash and left a good tip for Mia, so Dom didn't see the harm when they started coming around more regularly.

After the second week, Mia had started to tell Dom she was worried about them. They usually came early in the mornings, she'd said they always ate like they were starved. No one she'd talked to seemed to know where they were living but she didn't think they were homeless. Mia's suspicions were that of a forbidden romance, obviously she thought it was all romantic and shit. She'd wanted to help by offering the kid a job at the market.

Dom had told her to mind her own business, reminded her that she'd probably just scare good paying customers off. She relented, though only after he told her he'd look into it himself.

What he'd found hadn't really worried him. Lots of people came to L.A. to get lost and live off the grid. He'd first spotted them a few nights after Mia had brought his attention to the matter; each driving a different car, the kinds of cars he knows are in demand for certain markets. Dom has seen them passing several times since then, always at night, always with different cars. They were smart and definitely not the unfortunate souls his sweet sister had taken them for.

Once Dom had had a suspicion of what sort of business his two new regulars were truly in, he'd talked with Hector first since he'd seen them in his area. The hispanic man had known who he was asking about and had had good things to say. They acted like pros and had brought in quality goods. Though Hector didn't know much more than that.

It had answered some of Dom's questions but it also created more of them. Where had they come from, were they just a couple low levels trying to get by, or was there something bigger going on? He'd decided to keep an eye on them from a distance. So far, they hadn't caused trouble and he had been content to let the strange duo become part of the background.

Now that Vince is thoroughly making an ass of himself though, Dom is beginning to think he should have probably paid closer attention. He would be having some choice words with his oldest friend later. What Vince had just said was about to blow up in his face.

He hears a chair crashing, Dom stands having had enough. Catching sight of Vince and Blondie facing off in the parking lot makes him cringe inside. The other two regulars are standing, the older man is holding the younger's neck in a poor effort to restrain him. It makes Dom scowl and wonder at the sort of relationship those two really share. He worries about what the older guy will do, there's a feeling in the pit of his stomach that tells him he doesn't want to find out.

He picks up his pace, Mia's standing on the sidewalk yelling at Vince to stop acting like a kid when the dumb son of bitch turns away from the blonde on the ground and shoots his mouth off some more. She's shouting for Dom to step in when he's making his way around the counter.

Too little too late however. He sees the older man whisper something in the other's ear. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see the dangerous grin the youth gives the man in return. He watches, shock rooting him to his spot. The dreadful feeling spreads in Dom's stomach. It wasn't just the older man he should have been worried about, it was the younger one too.

Then to the amazement of all, the unassuming young man -who couldn't have been much older than Jesse- marches right towards Vince and clocks the bigger man so quickly Dom practically misses the hit. No one misses the way Vince is thrown against Blondie's ride though.

Vince sags to the ground like a rag doll, the way his head is wobbling about makes Dom worry. He's never seen anyone move or hit like that, not even in Lompoc.

It's over as quickly as it started. The older man moves in to keep the youth from going for more. Dom finds his feet and runs up to hoist Vince up. The man is still conscious but his face is already swelling and turning some rather disgusting shades of purple. Despite everything, Vince is still trying to run his mouth, it earns him a glare from the couple.

"You shut the hell up!" Dom yells at Vince when the man refuses to give up. "You're embarrassing me!" He growls as he tries to shake some sense into his best friend. Dom knows he needs to get on top of this situation. He doesn't need someone calling the cops right now.

He hears Letty and Mia crowd the kid who knocked Vince on his ass with one punch like he's their fucking hero. Especially Letty, she's never going to let Vince live this down. It does the trick, the kid focuses on the girls and ignores the giant moron now pouting like a damn four year old in Dom's arms.

"Leon!" Dom shouts. "Get this idiot out of here while I clean up his mess." He pushes Vince towards Leon after taking his keys, Jesse follows along to help without saying a word. Though he does cast a fearful yet almost reverent look to the other guy his age.

Dom turns his anger towards the blonde. If the little shit had just caught on and stopped sniffing around, none of this shitstorm would have happened. He sure as fuck wouldn't be down one man on his crew. There is no way Vince would be able to drive in any real capacity with the way his face has just been rearranged.

Once he sends the man away, permanently if he knew what was good for him. He turns his attention to everyone else. How the fuck was he supposed to sort this shit out now.

The decision is made for him when the older of the pair walks his way with a sure stride. He keeps his posture straight yet non aggressive, it's a difficult balance for him. Experience has taught him that he can't afford to show weakness in front of someone like this. He knows the minute he looks at the calculated gaze aimed his way that he's dealing with so much more than a couple of car thieves. The next few moments are going to be crucial, Dom has to keep his cool so the situation doesn't escalate. He gets a good look at the man extending a hand towards him with a cold smile.

"Peter Hale." The man is slightly shorter than Dom but just as muscular with clear blue eyes. He's got one of those faces that make it hard for Dom to tell the other's age. The white skin tight v neck t-shirt and dark wash jeans speaks of a man who's proud and confident in his body and abilities. His tone is casual, like his boy didn't just KO a man twice his size.

"Dominic Torreto." He grabs the hand in a sure grip and meets the skeeze without flinching. "Quite the right hook; he a boxer or something?"

"Or something." Peter shrugs, again the cold smile makes Dom uneasy. The man studies him closely after letting go of his hand. "Are we going to have a problem Mr. Toretto? Your man did start it."

Dom snorts despite himself and the corner of his mouth pulls up in amusement. "None of that mister crap, just call me Dom." He looks over the man's shoulder to see that Letty and Mia are still chatting with the kid like they're besties. He hums in thought, if he had any good sense he'd tell these two to take a hike just like Blondie. Despite the fact that they're obviously dangerous, there's something about these two that makes Dom curious to know more. "We don't have a problem. Vince has a habit of shooting his mouth off. Gotta admit I'm surprised that's the kid to finally knock some sense into him."

"Stiles has that effect on people." It's said with unexpected fondness. Peter's face warms up with a real smile as he looks behind him but when he turns back to Dom, his cold mask has returned. He looks at Dom like he's considering saying something else. "I have to say, you've surprised me as well. You look a lot like your father, you know."

Dom's friendly demeanor turns to stone. "The fuck did you just say?"

The man throws his hands up. "I meant that in the best possible way, I assure you. I'll admit that us coming around here was a complete coincidence at first. After that, I wasn't sure if you were who I thought you were so I never said anything." The sudden change of mood has attracted attention and the kid, Styles?, makes his way over with Mia and Letty hurrying after him. "I met him a few times when I was a fair bit younger, he was a good man and taught me a lot about how a real car should drive."

Another deep hum resonates through Dom's chest and he lets his posture relax. It rings true; his dad had always helped everyone he could so it's not like Dom remembered every single one of them.

"Peter?" The younger man comes to stand shoulder to shoulder with his partner, his face in a concerned frown. He's much leaner but just as tall, his clothes hide his frame and Dom has a hard time believing this is who knocked Vince down. He looks at Dom with the same eerie calculating gaze as Peter, honey brown eyes shift between the two of them. "We good?"

"Dom!" Letty interrupts his answer, she's got a look in her eyes that tells Dom she's about to do something he won't like. She tucks herself into his side with a shark grin. "We should head back to the house." She slinks a hand into his pocket, fishes out Vince's keys, then tosses them to the kid. "Since Mia's invited you guys over for dinner, you might as well bring Vince's ride back for his stupid ass."

The kid catches the keys with the same unexpected quickness. He looks between Peter and Dom, clearly uncomfortable. "Uhhhh."

Dom looks over to Mia, he presses his lips together. She's got her arms crossed and is looking at him like she's daring him to contradict her. She never listens to him.

He sighs. Vince is gonna be so pissed but maybe this is what he needs to realize they aren't kids anymore. "Sure, why not." Dom throws out after receiving a hard pinch on his side from Letty. He tries to glare down at her but he knows it's pointless, he can't say no to her either.

Author'snote

Thank you all so much for follows and favs, hope you enjoyed chapter 2 :) see ya'll next time