thin white lies

Chapter 1

"Remind me what we're looking for?" Theo wheezed. He was trying his best to keep up with his two friends— more accurately, he and Scott were trying to keep up with Stiles, who kept charging ahead only to trip on a tree root or something and end up next to his asthmatic best friends once more.

"A dead body," Stiles answered. He seemed determined, and Theo shared a look with Scott. He knew Stiles, and there was gonna be no way to get him to abandon the search before they had actually found the body. Scott only rolled his eyes, a smile lighting up his face, and Theo's lips twitched in response.

"Right. Remind me, then, why you woke me up in the middle of the night to look for said dead body," Theo shot back.

"You didn't have to come, y'know."

"You threatened to pull me out the window if I didn't come downstairs!"

"Listen, you ungrateful shit, I'm trying to make your life more exciting! The least you could do is—"

"Guys! Cut it out!" Scott whisper-shouted. Theo and Stiles instantly shut their mouths; Scott looked like he would have laughed if it weren't for the situation at hand. He sighed, looking between the other two as his expression went from amused to mildly put out.

"Are we seriously doing this?"

"You're the one who's always bitching about nothing happening in this town," Stiles said.

"I don't think this is the kind of 'something' Scott was looking for," Theo shot back. Stiles stuck up his middle finger at Theo, who reached out to shove his arm.

"Why are you complaining, anyway?"

"I wanted to get a good night's sleep before practice tomorrow," Scott answered.

Stiles snorted, made some comment about how sitting on the bench was such a grueling effort, but their conversation faded into background noise as he focused on something else. He was pretty sure he had seen something in the distance, and he paused and squinted to try and see it better. Whatever it was was huge— a hulking figure, down on all fours and half hidden behind a tree trunk. The light of the full moon above them did nothing to reveal any distinguishing features to Theo. Shadows wrapped around the figure, but as Theo watched, two twin pinpricks of red light appeared, and the thing moved to stand on two legs instead of four.

Fear filled Theo, running like ice in his veins. Warning bells were going off in the back of his mind, telling him to 'run, go, leave Stiles and Scott, get yourself to safety'. His feet remained rooted to the ground, though, and despite his lack of movement his friends remained on their quest; eventually, one of them caught on, and Scott and Stiles turned back to look at Theo questioningly.

"Yo, Theo, you okay?"

Theo turned away from whatever the hell it was to look at them instead. Scott seemed concerned, Stiles curious, and he found himself relaxing just a bit under their gazes. He risked a look back to where he had seen the thing, only to find the space blessedly empty, the moonlight illuminating the leaf-riddled floor of the Beacon Hills Preserve once again.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," he muttered.

"You sure? You're lookin' a little pale there, buddy."

"I think that's just a natural state of being for the two of you."

Now it was Stiles' turn to punch Scott. Scott laughed, and Theo found himself laughing too at their shenanigans.

"Seriously though, Theo, are you alright?"

Scott's hand fell onto Theo's shoulder, Theo jumping at the sudden contact but leaning into the comfort of his friend's warm touch anyway.

"Yeah. I just... thought I saw something," Theo said.