Shatter My Reality

Heavy

The carnival was rife with laughter and joy, neither of which Stiles felt at the moment. He sat on a bench across the street. It wasn't technically a park he was in. It was more of a large patch of grass with a handful of trees where the local birdwatchers would sit. Stiles could see the shells of old seeds scattered on the small sidewalk that cut through the grass.

Movement beside him caused him to tense. He looked up as if into a mirror. A sneer pulled at his expression, but he forced it back. Spencer was his brother, whether he liked it or not. He wondered how many people would look in their direction and do a double take or blame the excessive amounts of overpriced alcohol served at the carnival concessions.

"Odd meeting place." Spencer was the first to speak.

"Public but quiet," Stiles said, his eyes falling back to the carnival entrance.

There was a long pause.

"This is where I first saw you."

Spencer's brows furrowed.

"I was driving to Derek's, and I saw... you. You walked into the carnival. I thought I was losing my mind. I tried to find you to understand what I was seeing, but I never did."

"Oh, I remember that day. I asked about finding someone named Hale. Nobody could point me in the right direction, so I left," Spencer said.

Stiles once again fought to school his expression. "Why not go to the station and ask there?"

"I was afraid they'd ask questions I didn't have the answers to. Figured it'd be best to ask around on my own." Spencer shrugged.

Stiles stared down at the blades of grass under his feet. "Derek found you at the nemeton. Why?"

"Nemeton?" Spencer asked.

"The large stump," Stiles waved an impatient hand. It was easy to forget that not everyone knew about the nemeton.

"Oh, I was drawn to it. Like some sort of weird tether pulling me in. When I got there, I could feel a tingle in my skin. I've gone back a couple of times, trying to understand more. I even went to the library. There was very little. I'm not great at research, though."

"It's an old magical tree. It's like a beacon for the supernatural. That's why you were drawn to it."

Spencer nodded.

Another cloud of silence hung over the pair.

"Are you done with your interrogation, or can I talk to you like you're my brother?"

Guilt pinched Stiles' gut. "This isn't an interrogation. I just... I don't know how to talk to you."

"Is that why you won't even look at me?"

Stiles closed his eyes and let out a sigh. He turned his head and met Spencer's eyes. The same light brown eyes he'd seen in the mirror stared back at him.

"If I look at you, it's real, and I... I don't know how to handle this new reality. I'm seventeen years old. I've been an only child for seventeen years."

"Me too."

"Isn't this weird for you?" Stiles threw his hands up.

"Yeah, it's weird, but also... I have a family. Growing up, it was just me and Mom. She was always super cagey about her past and rarely talked about Dad."

"Aren't you pissed she never told you about us?"

Spencer frowned. "I was at first, but... I just lost her, and it feels wrong to be pissed at her."

Stiles nodded. He couldn't imagine being in Spencer's shoes. Though they'd likely fit judging by the size.

"I'm guessing you're pissed?"

"I was at first," Stiles said. His hands clenched in his lap. "But I found out some information. About why she did it."

Spencer perked up.

"It's a bit heavy to tell, so I thought I'd just show you."

"Okay." Spencer nodded.

"But... This is my life. You can't just come in and— and—"

"Hey, I'm not here to ruin your life." Spencer placed a hand on Stiles' shoulder. "I honestly don't know why I'm here, but I found you and... Dad. Maybe that's what Mom really wanted me to find. I thought I was completely alone. I am just as frustrated about all this as you are. I begged Mom to tell me about Dad. She lied to me. I want to figure out how she kept this from Dad. How she made all of you believe she was dead. And I never... I never existed. I'll follow your lead on this. This is your town, I know that. I just hope maybe you'll let me be a part of it."

Stiles was not a good lacrosse player. He was not a good student, and he was not a great son. He was, however, a good friend, a good researcher, and a good judge of character. And with all the information he'd gathered and his own gut intuition, he knew that he could trust Spencer. That, unfortunately, did not remove the feeling of being threatened. Though it wasn't a threat of being killed or tricked; it was a threat of being replaced.

"If I do anything you don't like, just say the word." Spencer removed his hand from Stiles' shoulder.

Stiles stood. "You know how to get to Derek's loft?"

Spencer nodded.

"You've been invited to dinner. Seven o'clock. Don't be late."

Spencer bit at his bottom lip to hold back a smile. "Thank you."

"And, uh, tell Dad I'll swing by the station tomorrow."

Spencer nodded again.

Stiles beelined for his jeep. He needed to be alone. Dizziness swept over him. His hands started to shake as he pressed the key into the jeep's door.

As he closed himself inside, the panic completely overtook him. His breathing was fast and shallow. His heart pounded heavily in his chest. His hands clenched the steering wheel as if it could ground him.

The sound of his phone caused him to jump. He scrambled to answer, his hands fumbling with the touch screen.

"Hello?" he hadn't even bothered to notice who was calling.

"Where are you?" Derek's voice growled on the other end.

"On Devenger, why?"

"You went out alone?"

"I met up with Spencer."

"Oh I see, I can't meet up with him alone, but you can? Did you forget that Lydia saw you die? That was incredibly reckless."

Stiles' heart started to slow as he concentrated on Derek's voice. Despite the fact that he was berating him, Stiles found Derek comforting. Which was a hilarious thought. Most people saw Derek as off-putting and grumpy. Stiles himself had referred to him as a sour wolf. But life had put Derek and Stiles into situations that forced them to trust each other despite neither party wanting to. Now, Stiles couldn't imagine his life without Derek.

"I'm literally on my way. Will you chill?" Stiles responded to Derek when he realized he'd stopped talking.

"Stiles," Derek growled out.

Stiles would not admit to what hearing his name in that tone did to him.

"I'll be there soon. Also, Spencer is coming over for dinner."

There was a long pause on the other end before— "You decided to show him?"

"I couldn't tell him. It's too heavy. You're sure it's okay?"

"Do you trust him?" Derek asked.

Stiles scrubbed a hand down his face. "Yeah. I do."

"Then I trust you."

Stiles' heart flipped in his chest. It was an understood thing that Derek didn't distrust him, but to hear him admit out loud that he trusted Stiles. He couldn't think of a greater honor.

*AN*
Stiles is giving Spencer a chance!