Hopeless Love (☆Scott McCall x OC☆)

Masterplan

✯ACT TWO-PART TWELVE✯

A groan slipped past Ashton's lips as he slowly woke back up, his body still slack from exhaustion.

"Ash! Ashton!"

His eyes snapped open as he heard Stiles, blinking to refocus.

Stiles was laid on the floor in front of him, face bruised and bloodied. It wasn't the worst beating Ashton had seen, but it was enough.

And Stiles seemed to share that thought process, his eyes moving along Ashton's form. Wrists taped, mouth taped, eyes unfocused, labored breathing, wires that disappeared and reappeared in odd angles, a burn patch in the thigh of his jeans, the smell of blood focused in his corner of the room.

"Fuck, you look worse than I do." Stiles pushed himself off the floor, walking towards Ashton and looking around his chair. "I'm guessing you're electric too?" Stiles tried to joke, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

Ashton rolled his eyes. "Motion detected." Ashton stated into Stile's mind, barely tilting his head back and towards his wrists. "Wires are tied into the tape."

Since he had been getting stronger, his telepathy could reach humans now as well. Which, suddenly, became his saving grace. Before, he could only use it on supernatural creatures- baring the time he had lost control at McCall's house. For some reason, he could also use it on Allison, but he had figured it was because him and Allison were twins.

Stiles breathed out a shaky curse, reaching behind Ashton before pausing. "This might hurt." He muttered, gripping the edge of the tape and pulling it down, hard and fast, just like a bandaid.

A loud groan of pain is what followed, Ashton's eyes snapping shut before he reflexively yanked his wrists from behind him, the shaking in his hands slowly subsiding as the last wave of electricity faded.

Letting out a muffled exhale, Ashton gripped the tape at his mouth, pulling it off and letting it fall to the floor. "We have to-"

"We can't." Stiles said, wrapping a hand around Ashton's bicep. But it was tentative and gentle, clearly worried he might have more wounds than could be visible to him.

Ashton shook his head, looking towards Erica and Boyd who looked freshly passed out. Again. "I can't leave them again." Ashton whispered, his voice filled with regret.

Ashton couldn't help but blame himself for Boyd and Erica getting caught, for all three of them being stuck here. Being electrocuted almost every five minutes. Being interrogated for information Ashton's family knew the betas wouldn't give up. Being taunted and mocked. Being tortured. He couldn't do it again. He couldn't willingly leave them behind to go through worse. He cared for them, more than he originally thought he ever would, but he did, and the idea of leaving them to save himself seemed..so wrong.

"You have too." Stiles stated, stepping into Ashton's line of sight. "Gerard is going after them, tonight." Stiles hissed through his teeth.

Stiles needed Ashton to leave, needed him to walk out that door and find everyone else. Erica and Boyd, surely, would understand the reasons behind Ashton leaving now. Stiles couldn't say he was a fan of manipulating Ashton into leaving, of using Scott and the others as a way to get Ashton to just move, but if it was what worked, the buzzed cut teen would do what it took. Even when it went against his morals to do so to someone he, admittedly, saw as a friend, even with their differences.

Ashton paused, his eyes glancing between his two pack mates and Stiles. "Once it's over, we're coming back for them." He muttered, grabbing Stiles wrist and pulling him up the stairs. "Follow me, and be quiet."