𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐄 | 𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚘𝚕𝚏

𝚃𝚆𝙴𝙽𝚃𝚈-𝚃𝚆𝙾 | UNDERNEATH THE PAINT

The morning after the deer incident, Lexie sat quietly at the kitchen table, stirring her cereal but not eating it. She hadn't been able to shake the image of the crash from the night before—the way the deer had come out of nowhere, slamming into the car. It reminded her too much of her own accident, and the lingering fear weighed heavily on her chest.

Across the kitchen, Stiles was in full swing, talking a mile a minute like he always did when he was trying to distract himself—or someone else. His dad, the Sheriff, stood near the door, sipping his coffee and listening to Stiles ramble on about deer collisions.

"You know how many vehicle collisions last year involved deer?" Stiles began, waving his hands dramatically for emphasis. "247,000!"

Lexie blinked, drawn out of her thoughts by his loud voice. Stiles had a way of filling a room with his energy, even when she wasn't quite in the mood for it.

The Sheriff, clearly exhausted from trying to keep up with his son, shook his head with a sigh. "Oh, God, please go to school."

Stiles grinned, unphased by the comment. "But that's crossing the road," he said, leaning in closer, as if sharing a deep conspiracy. "This one last night came right down the middle."

Lexie's fingers tightened around her spoon, her stomach twisting as the memory of the crash flickered in her mind again. She hated how it made her feel—small, fragile, like she couldn't shake it off as easily as Stiles seemed to.

"I'm not gonna beg you," the Sheriff replied, clearly trying to wrap up the conversation so he could head out.

"Okay, good," Stiles shot back, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I'm impervious to your influence anyway."

The Sheriff smirked, looking over at Lexie for a moment, noticing her quiet demeanor. "Would you consider a bribe?" he asked, turning back to his son, though his tone was lighter now.

Stiles grinned, raising an eyebrow. "You couldn't meet my price."

"Extortion?"

"You got nothing on me."

Lexie's eyes flickered between them, her lips twitching into a faint smile despite the knot in her chest. Stiles always had a way of making her feel a little bit better, even when she didn't want to.

Then, without warning, the Sheriff reached out and grabbed Stiles by the shoulders, shaking him playfully. "Dad, what are you doing?" Stiles yelped, his eyes widening in mock horror as his dad shook him.

"Aah!" the Sheriff exclaimed dramatically, clearly enjoying his role as the exasperated parent.

Lexie couldn't help it—she laughed, a soft giggle that bubbled up from somewhere deep inside her. It was the first real laugh she'd had since the accident last night, and for a moment, it felt like the weight on her chest lightened just a bit.

Stiles stopped flailing for a second and glanced over at her, a grin spreading across his face when he saw her smile. "See?" he said, pointing at Lexie. "I've still got it. I can make the kid laugh."

The Sheriff chuckled, releasing his son and straightening his shirt. "Well, someone has to keep you in check," he said, giving Stiles a playful shove. He turned back to Lexie, his expression softening. "You doing okay, Lexie?"

Lexie paused for a moment, her fingers still gripping the spoon, but then she nodded. "Yeah," she whispered, her voice small but sincere. "I'm okay."

The Sheriff gave her a gentle nod, knowing there was more going on than she was letting on, but not wanting to push. "Good," he said. "And if either of you see another crazy deer, maybe call someone before it causes a traffic incident."