The window stays a cold reassurance against Peters' cheek as he stares out of the window of the Jeep, Stiles behind the wheel. The two stay in a comfortable silence, relaying the awaited event of meeting the recent addition to their pack: Penny.
As they pass dusty shops and closed-up warehouses, they contemplate the event soon to arrive. Stiles looks at Peter, shimmying up in his seat to grin curiously. "So...Penny, huh?"
Peter huffs, amused by Stiles antics. "Yes, Penny." He says, steadfastly staring forward, lips twitching in a small smile. Stiles taps his fingers on the steering wheel and hums in agreement, arching an eyebrow in an attempt to make the older man speak.
"She's nice." He says simply, ducking his head, exhaling before beginning again. "It was only going to be for a while, her working at the firm..." He chuckles. "She worked on the third floor, Nadia was on the fifth, they met in the middle at briefings and hit it off." Peter snorted, incredulous laugh filling the car.
Stiles laughed delightedly and twisted to stare at the wolf. "Seriously?" He exclaimed, and Peter nodded, still chortling.
"They've been together since, and never ended up finding another job, I guess finance was just too appealing..." He said drily, re-focusing on the passing road signs as they drove on.
"Definitely a good choice..." Stiles murmured jokingly. Grunting as he coaxed the Jeep into third gear, he elbowed Peter, squeaking and narrowly avoiding the answering poke in the ribs. "Hey!" He yelped, Peter laughing at his antics.
"Pull in here, it's on the next corner..." Peter says, reclining in his seat.
Stiles does, then looks over at the older man. His mouth is a pinched line, and his shoulders a tense line. "If I didn't know better..." Stiles starts conversationally, "I'd say you were nervous..."
Peter grits his teeth, and shakes his head slowly, refusing to look Stiles in the eyes as the car grinds to a halt. The boy sits silently, before wrapping his fingers tentatively around Peters. "She sounds amazing. And you're amazing, so...from my calculations, you'll get on just fine." He smiles cheekily. Peter chuckles and squeezed his hand.
"It's been so long," He says wistfully. "Lots must have changed, I've missed so much..."
Tutting playfully, Stiles shakes his head. "Even more reason to catch up, cutie-pie."
Peter rolled his eyes, opening the door. "Is that a new pet name, huh?" Stiles grinned.
"Fuck yeah, it is!"
"Language, darling."
"Sure thing..." Stiles waggled his eyebrows suggestively, pushing open the door.
"Don't say it." Peter sighed, failing to hide his grin.
"Cutie-pie." Stiles sings, tilting his head to the side and smiling lopsidedly.
"You're ridiculous." Peter laughs, walking past Stiles into the cafe, the musk of incense hitting his nose.
The scent curls round the quiet hubbub of the room, not too strong for the man's sensitive nose but a curious aroma that fitted the place perfectly. Sloping ceilings rose into the shadows and the low thrum of jazz music set a candid heartbeat for the site. Tables were spaced out across the carpeted floor, a mismatch of wooden and glass, plastic and metal, and around them all were chairs equally as odd, but somehow charmingly right.
The colours clash horrendously, Peter thought, but it somehow managed to look cosy, rustic and welcoming, something Peter now realised he wanted for himself. As he and Stiles navigated around haphazard clustered tables and one particularly bizarre chaise-longue, he caught sight of them. He stopped abruptly, Stiles bumping lightly into his back, indignantly poking him in the spine. He peered curiously around the older man's shape to find the hold-up, freezing when he saw his wide-eyed stare.
Making a decision, Stiles tapped him on the shoulder, startling Peter out of his daze, and whirled him around abruptly to a dazed stop so he was staring back at the teen. "You're going to do brilliantly, you always do, and I'm always here to whisk you out of the situation if needed!" He promised warmly. "Should we have a code word? That would be cool! And useful, but what word should it be?" He rambled, Peter gazing at him in confused nervousness.
"Stiles." He rumbles, putting a firm hand on his shoulder and steering him towards the table.
"Stiles?" The teen repeats, bewildered. "That could get confusing, I feel like the word needs to be more obscure, but not too ob-" The breath is knocked out of him as Peter pushes him into one of two spare seats at the rickety table, sliding gracefully into the other, nerves forgotten.
The teen smiles sheepishly at his father, who sits at his other elbow, tracing the design on a mug. "Sorry?" He snarks. His eyes trace the people around the table, Nadia, Peter, John...and Penny.
Penny.
Peter beams, and stands up, meeting the girl in a hug, both laughing wetly. "It's been too long, Pen..." He murmurs, she hums in agreement in his ear, hugging him closer.
"We're here now, and I'm not going anywhere." She returns, pulling away to smile at the Were. They part, moving back to their respective seats, whilst Nadia introduces Penny to John and Stiles, the latter looking on curiously.
"Penny." He breathes, eyes alight with interest and eyes flicking over her nervous form.
She sits across from him, curly hair loose around her framed face. He surveys the marks snaking over her skin and down under her shirt collar, and the way she twitches to cover them, and decides that no friend of his is going to be embarrassed by their skin...the vitiligo was beautiful, and Stiles had the feeling that that's not what she was usually told. Pulling his eyes away, he smiled warmly at her, holding out an eager hand across the table.
She returns the handshake with a small smile, nodding her head at her name. "Stiles, right?" She murmurs, mouth turned in a small frown.
"That's me." He grins, performing a tiny salute, Penny's lips quirk into a grin and she shyly returns the salute.
John eyes Nadia and John, and they stand up together, making a flimsy excuse to go and get the newly arrived couple some drinks, leaving Penny and Stiles together.
They sit in silence for a few seconds, unsure what to breach first. Penny leans back in her booth and exhales quietly, locking eyes with Stiles. "I don't want to be some kind of stereotypical empath but..." She stalls, seeing Stiles confused look. "You're still sad." She says simply.
Stiles' face softens, and Penny sees the vulnerability in his eyes. "Perhaps." He says quietly, jokingly.
She nods, smiling at her knees and fiddling with the proffered cutlery. "I can help, I can understand. We should talk, y'know?" As she says the words, Stiles goes still, then nods vigorously.
"I think that would be awesome." He smiles warmly, happy to have a chance to verbalise his feelings with someone other than himself. "And...I can't...specifically..." He grins mischievously. "Sense emotions, but I can talk if you ever need it?"
"Hell yes," She says, relieved. "I'm sorry for being so distant...I'm always scared about peoples first reactions to...this..." She gestures weakly at the marks on her face.
Stiles looks affronted, and angry. "Well, I think it looks amazing!" He exclaims. She snorts. The others settle back into their seats, and Peter presses a glass of soda into Stiles' hand. "You have vitiligo, right?" He asks.
"Yup." She mumbles, smirking embarrassedly.
"She has so much magic that it couldn't contain itself..." Nada said conversationally, leaning over and joining the conversation.
"So now its manifested onto your skin..." Chorus Nadia and Penny, the latter mocking her wife. Penny rolls her eyes and blushes, leaning into Nadia's side.
"You know it." Says Nadia fondly.
Smiles smiles, grinning at Peter, and they silently coo over the couple. It was amazing to see Nadia so in her comfort zone again!
John sips his lemonade dutifully, and peers over the glass. "So..." He steeples his fingers together. "Penny. Have you ever been arrested?" He asks, deadpan.
She chokes on her drink, Nadia grinning and thumping her on the back, Stiles glaring in amused outrage at him.
Nadia slings an arm around the Sheriff, looking relaxed. "Stop the dad routine, we've been married for years!" She chortles, and Johns serious expression turns to a beam, and he smiles reassuringly at Penny.
Stiles smiles at the two, leaning into Peters side, his family were coming together, and it was going so damn well!