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Octavia McCall was at a crossroads.
She was upset at Scott for dodging her or Stiles' calls and for allowing Sheriff Stilinski to get hurt during the parent-teacher conference. But even she thought Stiles was taking things a bit too far with this cold-shoulder act. She sat beside him in homeroom, noticing how he tensed and shifted uncomfortably the moment Scott walked through the door.
Scott took his seat behind his best friend, dropping his backpack to the floor with a soft thud. Leaning forward, he spoke in a low, almost pleading tone. "Still not talking to me?"
Silence. Stiles didn't even glance back, his eyes fixed ahead, jew set. Octavia stifled a sigh, glancing between them. This whole thing felt ridiculous, but she knew better than to try and end it on her own.
Scott lowered his voice a little more, looking at his sister with pleading eyes, his expression a mix of guilt and frustration. "Okay, can you at least tell me if your dad's okay? I mean, it's just a bruise, right? Some soft tissue damage? Nothing that big?"
Octavia shifted uncomfortably, guilt twisting in her stomach. She reached over, squeezing Stiles' arm in a silent show of support as she felt him tense further. "You know I feel really bad about it, right?"
Scott sighed, "Okay. What if I told you that I'm trying to figure this whole thing out and...that I went to Derek for help?"
Octavia's head snapped toward him. Her eyes were wide with disbelief. "You-"
"If I was talking to you," Stiles interrupted, his voice sharp. "I'd say that you're an idiot for trusting him...But, obviously, I'm not talking to you."
"Obviously." Octavia nodded sarcastically, barely suppressing a smile.
When the bell rang, and as the teacher began to speak, Octavia saw Stiles fidget restlessly in his seat. Finally, he spun around, unable to hold back. "What did he say?"
The trio spilled out into the bustling hallway, Octavia breathing a quiet sigh of relief as she watched Scott and Stiles fall into their old rhythm, their voices weaving through the cacophony of slamming lockers and chatter.
"Wh- He wants you to tap into your animal side and get angry?" Stiles asked, his voice dripping with skepticism.
Scott nodded, casting a quick look at his sister as if gauging her reaction. Her eyebrows knitted together. "Okay, but every time you turn into the Hulk, you kind of try to kill someone." Her hand found Stiles' jaw, gently grabbing it and shaking it side to side. "And that 'someone' is usually him. And I, personally, am fond of him, and I'd appreciate it if we kept him alive."
Stiles blinked, caught off guard by her touch but subconsciously leaning into it. "I know." Scott sighed, glancing between them. His eyebrow raised at his sister as she moved her hand away. "That's what he means when he says he doesn't know if he can teach me. I have to be able to control it."
