Atelophobia (TW soulmate AU)

Chapter 4: So..... You were right.

I can't believe I did that. But on the other hand, I'm glad Lydia kicked my butt into gear. I'm pretty sure she's the only one who could. I talked with Scott and Allison. I need Lydia's advice. I'll call her and see if she wants to meet. I can't do it at Scott's the chance of him or Allison overhearing and blowing everything out of proportion. The conversation I want to have with them is wildly different. 

"Hello?"

"Lyds, can we talk?"

"Always, I'm actually at Scott's still if you are on your way back."

"Uh, can we meet somewhere else?"

"Why? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I just would like to talk about the conversation we had last night without prying ears." 

"Of course, I'll be over immediately." and she hung up. I don't know what I did to deserve her friendship. I don't know why she continued to be my friend after the Nogitsune wearing my face tried to kill Aiden, her soulmate. I wish she at least yelled at me for it, did something other than just forgiving me. 

*Lydia*

Let's hope he's planning on taking my suggestion and writing to his soulmate after last night's conversation. I got out of my car and walked to his front door where conveniently he was waiting. 

"That nervous?"
"Mixed with other emotions." 

"Oh, let's get inside quickly then," I said walking past him and to the couch.

"Is your dad at work?" 

"I assume so." 

"Where else would he be?" 

"Not sure, but something has made him happy. Happier than I've seen him in a long time." 

"That's good, isn't it?" 

"It is." 

"You don't seem too sure about that." 

"No, it is a good thing. It's just that he was working so much it keeps him out of the house and he was doing it on purpose." 

"I'm sure he wasn't doing it on purpose." 

"He's been doing it since my mom died. He stopped burying himself in the bottle and started burying himself in his job so he didn't have to look at me or be in my presence. I thought maybe now that he's happier, that he'd be spending more time with me. But he just stays out of the house more and even for a couple of days." Stiles' been growing up without both his parents since he was 10. He's going through the after-effects of the Nogitsune by himself, and all the cause and effect it's done within the pack by himself. Is this more of why Stiles never planned on contacting his soulmate? Because if they ever had children and one of them died, he didn't want his child going through the same thing he is going through right now. He looks down, maybe a change of topic would be good. I regret even bringing this up. 

"How about we move on to the conversation you really wanted to have." 

He nodded before sitting down next to me with a sigh. He began to fidget with his hands rubbing his thumb over his wrist. He must be really nervous and his elevated anxiety it's triggering an increase in his ADHD. I also bet he didn't take any Adderall either. He hates it. Says it's like blanketing his brain and after the Nogitsune I bet that feeling is terrifying. 

"So...you were right."

"I always am. So are you going to write to your soulmate?"

"I did last night. Gave them the hypothetical like you said." He seems freaked out of his mind. Confusion might be mixed in there too.

"And?" I swear it's like pulling teeth sometimes with him. Other times you can't get him to shut up. Thought it might be due to his ADHD, which is just part of his charm. 

"They're a werewolf."

Oh. So is that the nerves part?

"How does that make you feel?"

"I don't know, shocked. I guess. Relieved that I'm not bringing them into this mess. Terrified bc I don't what'll happen. My main reason for not contacting them in the first place still plays in the back of my mind. Lyds. And now that I know they're a werewolf that means they'll feel everything stronger than a human. I can't."

"Stiles, breathe." He did as told before he could work himself up into a panic attack.

"This is a conversation you need to have with your soulmate. They need to understand your fears, alright?" I said taking his hand. He nodded giving my hand a quick squeeze. 

"So you said that you ask your soulmate about the Scott situation. Gave it to them as a hypothetical." 

"Yeah." 

"How did they respond to that?" 

"That I need to sit down and talk with Scott and Allison. Make them listen to my side. Make them understand that it wasn't me and that if they choose to ignore that evidence that I don't deserve them as friends." 

"I agree, you three need to have a conversation. Clear the bad air. And if Scott wants to keep his head up Allison's ass so be it. It'll hit him in the face later down the road that he lost his best friend. His brother to his own stupidity." It'll serve Scott right too. I don't think he's ever fully realized, Stiles' importance to our friend group, to our pack.  Stiles might be a little awkward and a lot spastic but he's the only one that comes up with good plans. He's the one that risks his own life over and over to save all of ours. He took responsibility, a responsibility he didn't need to take on, to train Scott when he got bit. He took on this responsibility because he believes it to be his fault Scott got turned in the first place. I have a feeling, Scott blames Stiles too and he knows it. Stiles is smart, he can talk his way out of situations very well. He trusts his instincts. Instincts that are never wrong,  except when he was possessed because of the Nogitsune scrambled his brain. 

"So let's call Scott and set up a time." 

"He's not going to answer my phone calls."

Stiles sighed. Scott, if this goes badly I am going to string your ass up and drop it at your mother's feet because maybe you'll listen to the reason coming out of her mouth. 

"Then we'll use my phone," I said taking it out of my purse, calling Scott, and putting it on speaker. 

"Lydia, what's up?" 

"Listen and listen close Scott. If you hang up I'll castrate you and give it to Deucalian n as a chew toy." 

"Geeze, I won't hang up." 

"Good."

"So what's the threat about?" 

"Scott we need to talk." 

"Stiles." 

 "Can we please just talk?" 

"About what?" 

"The Nogitsune, everything that happened during that." 

"Why?" 

"I just want to plead my case." 

"Fine be at my house at 2." Scott huffed hanging up. Stiles looked at me sadly. We both caught the change in Scott's tone when Stiles started speaking. Barely concealed rage. What is causing that reaction from him? 

"I'm coming with you," I stated watching him remove his thumb from his teeth as he was nibbling on it. 

"Lydia, you don't need to.  I need to do this by myself." 

"You might think you need to, but I'm coming for moral support." He slouched against the couch like a weight was taken off his shoulders. 

"Thanks, Lydia."