Baby|| Stiles Stilinski

47

"He's going to be asleep for a while", Deaton announced once he had finished checking Baby. The man didn't mention the symbol behind Baby's ear and no one wanted to bring it up. Deaton sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "You just need to keep him warm. I've given him an infusion but he's going to be really hungry when he wakes up so have some warmed blood bags on hand".

Stiles nodded and walked over to Baby's head. The russet haired boy was lying on one of Deaton's metal tables. He was still cold to the touch but the blood infusions must have helped as when Stiles felt for a pulse, there was a light fluttering of a heartbeat in Baby's throat. "Thanks", he nodded. "I'm going to take him to mine. I don't want him to wake up alone and my dad wants me in the house tonight". Scott nodded as Stiles pulled Baby back into his arms and lifted him from the table.

"Do you want me to come with you?" He asked.

Stiles shook his head. "No. I can manage". Baby's head lolled against his shoulder. The vampire's skin was slightly warmer now and his breathing had picked up.

"Why is he so light?" Scott asked as Stiles shifted his hold easily.

Deaton was throwing out the empty blood bags. "Vampires have hollow bones. When changing into a vampire, it literally kills you. It destroys the cells then rebuilds them, unlike a werewolf bit which enhances the cells. The change for vampires literally destroys them the builds them back up. Their bones become hollow and reinforced, like metal pipes. It makes them fast and agile but also strong. The change also causes a huge amount of blood loss, which is why it often fails. Vampires have less than half of the blood of a normal human, explaining the need to feed. Blood carries iron and oxygen that they can't get the same way we do. The hollow bones and lack of blood circulation means that they don't weigh as much".

"Huh", Scott had to admit that Allison was right about the vampire thing being interesting.

"You said that the change often ends in failure", Stiles stated. "How often?"

Deaton leaned back against the table Baby was just lying on. "Being turned into a vampire involved being drained until your heart slows to almost a complete stop. Then the vampire replaces some of the blood with their own. It requires about a litre. Since vampires have little blood to start with, it often causes them to go into shut down", he gestured to Baby in example. "The process is dangerous for both the sire and the new blood. If the vampire blood takes and the body doesn't put up much of a fight then in three days the world welcomes new vampire".

"Baby said that he was turned when he was five. From what you described, is that even possible for a five year old?" Scott blinked in surprise at the information Stiles had just offered. Baby was turned when he was five? It didn't seem possible.

Deaton sighed. "Not usually. The change is a fifty fifty chance with an adult. The change happening to a child is as rare as there being a true alpha". He waved at hand at Scott. "Now kindly go away. I'm sure we all need our sleep". Scott and stiles nodded and headed to the door.

"Thanks Deaton", Stiles called back as the doors to the clinic closed.

——

Baby woke to warmth and the familiar sound of a heartbeat in his ears. There was a hand on his head, thumb rubbing circles on his cheekbone and fingers in his hair. "Romeo. Babes. You waking up now?" Baby groaned and inhaled. His throat was dry and his teeth were sharp with hunger. His eyes fluttered open and he peered hazily at Stiles. The other boy was cradling him against his chest. At the sight of Baby's open eyes he smiled. "Hey Babes". Baby blinked and smiled slightly back. Everything felt lethargic and heavy.

He tried to sit up but there were hands gently pushing him back down. Stiles moved from underneath him and handed him his thermos with a straw sticking out of it. Baby took it and greedily caught the straw between his teeth. Once the thermos was drained, he felt better. He was still sleepy thought, body still wanting to sleep to conserve body heat. Noticing that the cup was empty, Stiles took it and replaced it with another. Baby blinked and watched his boyfriend as he drank. There was something off with Stiles. His heart beat was pounding at a even slow pace and his face was relaxed. The smell of smoke had changed his original scent. It was strong and made Baby think of burning wood, and chemicals. Chemicals?

"I was attacked", Baby recalled. "Ninjas in masks, what were they?"

"Apparently they're called the oni", Stiles replied. "But it's fine. They're gone". Baby's mind was chaotic but still heavy with sleep. Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong. This wasn't stiles.

"Stiles. Are you okay? You're quiet".

Stiles smiled at him and stroked a hand over his hair again. "I'm fine. I was just worried about you". His eyes when he looked at Baby were dark and unreadable. There were not emotions in his scent and Stiles always had some sort of emotion bubbling with his scent. It made him readable and him. This change was slightly scary.

Baby glanced round the room. They were in Stiles' bedroom. The walls covered in red string and pictures. Baby tried to sit up again but Stiles pushed him down. "You should sleep", Stiles' voice was an instruction. Baby wanted to sleep. Sleep was good but he couldn't. There was something wrong with stiles and it set his teeth on edge. For the first time since he had come to beacon hills, Baby was scared. He had been scared when he had been hit the with holy water but this was different. The holy water had made him scared of pain. But this, this was a slow building terror stemming from a the growing unease.

"You're not stiles", the statement was soft and silent. Stiles froze and something flickered in his eyes. Stress, anxiety, concern. Then his eyes blanked again. The face smiled and leaned over to press a kiss to Baby's forehead. Baby closed his eyes on instinct until the face had drawn way.

"Of course I'm stiles. That whole body shutting down thing really made you sleepy". The hand was gentle on his head. Touch smooth and comforting. It was hard not to listen too. The full stomach didn't help. Baby felt his eyes dropping closed again as the thumb smoothed lines across his cheekbone.

"But where's stiles?" He slurred sleepily. "I want stiles". He was dimly aware of the figure pausing.

"Romeo. Don't worry. Stiles is right here", there was a humour to the voice. No lie but a joke. Baby didn't understand and he made a light noise. A hitch of breath that sounded high in his throat. Stiles shushed him gently. "This is all just a bad dream. You shut down in a stressful situation. I'm sure that this is just a scary bad dream. It must have been a lot. But don't worry Romeo. You can sleep now".

"Stiles only calls me Romeo when he's scared", Baby murmured. It was true. Stiles had only called him Romeo when he was scared of Barrow running round school. This wasn't right. It wasn't right. He tried to open his eyes again but two fingers slid them lightly back down.

"Shush Babes". A finger against his lips. "Get some sleep. I am right here". With those words still bouncing around his head, Baby felt himself drift into the cool arms of sleep. His breathing slowed and his body relaxed.

The boy leaning over him, wether it was stiles or not, gently brushed the hair from Baby's forehead then reached for the thread on the floor. Hi picked up two colours, blue and red. It was Stiles who moved the red thread. Mind not aware of what he was doing as he tied to the thread to the scissors. When he stabbed the blades into the mattress, he was careful to avoid the sleeping boy. It was the other person, the switch and dark unreadable eyes, that picked up the blue thread. The not stiles. It was them who turned back to the sleeping boy with intent.

Unedited

Void stiles guys. I wonder what he has planned for Baby. Excited?