Superheroes

Recovery

Even after the emotionally charged conversation with Steve and Barnes, Stiles still feels off-kilter. He cancels the study group on Monday, but emails all the notes and the research he's done so far. He goes outside for some fresh air, but the thought of people makes his skin crawl, so he goes out onto a terrace on the upper levels of the tower instead. It helps clear his head, but this is going to be one of those bad days that turn into a bad week. There's no rushing through it. Like he's been telling Barnes, and tells all his clients - recovery isn't linear, and pushing will only be detrimental to your own health.

But he's missing something. Still. Derek's been amazing, and Thor has come around to talk about Stiles' process in recovery both now and post-nogitsune. Steve stuck around for a lot of those conversations, more to help Bucky than for his curiosity. That mindset helps Stiles explain things better, more disconnected from the events.

In the end, Derek is the one who pinpoints what he needs. While he's text the pack, and even talked to his dad on the phone, he hasn't had a face to face with Scott. They've both been busy, with Scott in his final year of veterinary school and Stiles being where he is. Their Skype session after his last emotional rollercoaster helped immensely, and sure enough, as soon as Derek mentions it, Stiles grabs his phone and texts Scott, setting up a time.

They always Skype alone, Derek giving them space. Stiles heads for the conference room since Derek was making dinner again - he's going to get some pretty amazing sex for all the cooking he's doing when Stiles feels better - but sends a text inviting Steve along if he has the time.

He's compared Steve to Scott a lot, and especially after the nogitsune reveal, that comparison is even more blatant. Barnes opened up about a lot of the Winter Soldier trauma he went through, and once Stiles is feeling better, he's going to dive into that shitfest without abandon, but Steve's reaction to those stories was a parallel to how Scott behaved during Stiles' recovery process.

Ten minutes before the scheduled Skype session, Steve walks in the room with a small smile on his face. "Hey. You look a bit better."

Stiles returns the grin. "Thanks. I feel better. I'm going to feel a lot better after this." He gestures to the computer and nods for Steve to sit down. "I'm going to Skype Scott. I think it'd be good for you to watch, because you might be able to use some of the arguments Scott always uses against me for Barnes."

Steve snorts and takes a seat. "That kind of talk, huh?"

Snorting, Stiles boots the program. "Oh yeah. Derek rightly pointed out that I need an extra kick in the pants, and no one can do that better than Scott can." He readjusts the computer once he sees the webcam angle. "I can't show you, since no one knows who exactly I'm under contract with, but I'm going to tell him bare basics and let him know you're there. It won't change anything, but I want to be honest."

"Of course." Steve scoots his chair back a bit, but he's still able to see the screen.

The call comes in a lot earlier than Stiles expects, and he jumps at the noise. It's Scott's screen name calling, but not his face when the call connects. Stiles smiles widely. "Hey, Kira."

"Hi, Stiles!" She waves and smiles. "Oh, it's so good to see your face. You need to come home and visit. I miss you."