Tethered // Teen Wolf // Isaac Lahey

FORTY-SEVEN

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KOREY

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"Hey, you okay?" Stiles whispered, glancing at Scott as he drove.

"Yeah, you don't have to worry about me," Scott forced a quick smile, trying to mask his concern.

"All right, I'm gonna say it," Isaac blurted, leaning forward between the two car seats, "you look like you're dying. You're pale, thin, and you look like you're getting worse." He stated plainly, ignoring the withering looks we all gave him, "We're all sitting here thinking it. When we find the other you, is he gonna look like he's getting better?"

"Way to be subtle," I mumbled, turning my phone off before I glanced in the driver's side mirror from the back.

Isaac was right. Stiles did look terrible, and the smell radiating off him was exactly like a dying animal.

"What happens if he gets hurt?" Scott wondered carefully, staring at his best friend.

Stiles sighed tiredly, "What do you mean, like if he dies, do I die?" He tapped his hand down on the wheel firmly, "I don't care, just so long as no one else dies because of me." He took in a deep breath, a combination of fear and pain pulsing through him. "I remember everything I did, Scott. I remember pushing that sword into you. I remember twisting it."

"It wasn't you," Scott blurted, his eyes going wide as his heart dropped.

"Yeah, but I remember it," Stiles shook his head. "You guys gotta promise me... you can't let anyone else get hurt because of me." Scott went to protest some more, but Stiles stopped him with a shake of his head. "Promise me."

"Okay," Scott nodded shortly, "I promise."

I let my eyes glow behind my eyelids as Isaac mumbled something as well, the whirling blurring out the sound of the engine in my ears. I guided the tether into Stiles' back, feeding some strength into him.

"Korey!"

My eyes snapped open, the glow dying out as my heart stuttered skittishly.

"Don't," Stiles hissed, "don't do that. I don't- I don't want it, okay? Keep it."

I swallowed, looking down at my hands in my lap, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to make it easier on you-"

"Don't," Stiles cut me off, his hands tightening on the wheel, "don't."

A hand landed on my knee, squeezing it softly, and I followed it up to Isaac's kind eyes as he offered me a small smile. "He's not mad at you. He's mad at the situation."

I smiled back weakly, my hand landing on top of his, "Thank you."

"Hey, uh..." Isaac leaned down slightly, his breath fanning my cheek, "can I... ask you something?"

I nodded quickly, "Sure."

"Okay, so, everyone's been talking about it but none of it makes sense," Isaac mumbled quickly, "Allison said that you went missing the night I got electrocuted, then, it turned out you were actually in a coma and then, you nearly died. I-" he faltered, "I'm lost."

I laughed softly, "Yeah, none of it really made any sense. It turns out that there's only so much you can push down before it comes back to bite you in the ass." I met his eyes, tilting my head, "I tried to forget Archie in some unconscious way... it kind of messed with my whole ability to enhance-"

Isaac spluttered, bending even closer, his hair tickling my forehead, "I'm- what?"

"Not important," I shook my head, "the point is, Deaton found a way to unlock everything that I was pushing down, which happened to be an induced coma-"