Tiptoe { Allenski }

Explanation

Stiles

I couldn't.

I just couldn't say no.

That dumb hopeful smile and his pleading eyes had me in their grasp and I wasn't going to disappoint something like that.

I'm fucked.

We went back to Barry's house, smiling and laughing, I only let go of his hand so that I could drive, and then we reconnected them when we were outside again. My heart was doing summersaults in my chest at the feeling of his hand in mine.

As I said, I'm fucked.

The next day, Barry was out and it was just Joe and I. So I decided to try and smooth things out between us.

"Joe?" I say, and he turns around, coffee mug in hand. He sees me and, for once, his eyes turn to sorry. "Hey, can we talk?"

"Sure." He says, and it's probably the only nice thing he's said to me. He takes a seat at the table and gestures for me to sit next to him. "Look, I'm sorry for what I said the other night, I had no idea..."

"Don't worry about it." I smile lightly. "You couldn't have known."

"Doesn't mean it was right."

"Joe I know you don't trust me. I'd be a pretty shit DI if I didn't notice that..." Joe smiles slightly. Score. "But I want you to know that I've been through, some stuff in the past, some of it Barry knows and some of it he doesn't, and you can ask him what I mean."

"Stiles, I don't want your life story"

"No, that's not what I wanted to say. I know you can tell a lot about a person when you look at them, and if I was you, seeing me, I'd be suspicious too. So I'm going to explain myself."

"Okay..." Joe nods, but he's frowning slightly. I hand him a case file and he opens it gently.

"This guy, Donovan, was a druggie or something, I think. His Dad was my Dad's partner, back in the day, but he was shot in the job, and Donovan blamed my Pops."

Joe keeps staring at the file, but his eyes don't flit across the page, so I know he's not reading it.

"So, Donovan somehow escaped from captivity when he was being transported. So, naturally he was going to target my Dad. But instead of heading straight for him, he came after the one thing he loves the most."

Joe looked up then, eyebrows raised. "You."

I nod, biting my lip. "He chased me into the school, my car had broken down and I was working late in the library. And he had some kind of... I don't really know what it was but it was a weapon anyway. He did this." I pull my tshirt down and grimace. "Doesn't exactly look like a knife huh?"

Joe is staring at my shoulder, his brain working behind his eyes and suddenly I think he knows more about the supernatural than I thought.

"Anyway..." I pull t shirt up and rub my neck. "He was chasing me and I had nowhere to go so I climbed. There was some scaffolding there, so I almost made it to the top but he had a grip on my leg... And so I reached for the pin that held it up and..."

I put my head in my hands. "The scaffolding came down and he let go of my leg. When I looked down, part of the scaffolding had pierced his chest and..." I bite my lip, I couldn't look at Joe. "So I ran. I left, and went home and the next day, there was nothing there. The police never found the body, or the blood, or the scaffolding."

I look up and Joe is staring at me with realisation and I bite my lip again. "So... There's no evidence that it happened. Apart from my guilt... And Donovan is just another missing criminal.

"I know this is a lot to take in but, I hope this helps you to trust me a bit more." I stand up and get my jacket from the sofa. "If it's ok could you keep this between you and me? I'd like to tell Barry myself... At some point."

Joe doesn't say anything. Instead he nods and looks sympathetic.

"I'm gonna... I'm gonna get some air." I smile slightly, and then leave.

I'm walking down the street and I suddenly start to panic.

What if he turns me in? What if he thinks I'm a murderer? What if he tell Barry and they kick me out? What if he trusts me less?

I don't realise how fast I've walked until I'm suddenly grabbed, and I feel the whole world disappear under my feet.

At first, all I can think is 'the flash'.

"Look, flash, thank you for saving me and all, but you really need to make an appointment before interrupting someone's walk-" I stop as I turn my head around and realise: that's not the scarlet speedster that saved my life.

"Hello Stiles." His voice is modified like the Flash's, but his is slightly more terrifying. I suddenly realise that we are standing in some kind of tunnel, like where I would go with Scott to skateboard when we're were kids. The man is standing above where he threw me on the floor, and the electric blue static that follows him makes my hair stand on end.

"Who are you? And how do you know my name?"

"I know more than just your name, Stiles."

"What do you want? Is this about Scott? Because I'm done with all of that."

"No this is nothing to do with your little werewolf pack." I feel the colour drain from my face and stare at him in horror. His mask seems to turn upwards into some kind of twisted smile. "I want to send a message to the flash."

"Ok." I stand up, dusting my jeans off. "Look dude, you got the wrong man. I don't know the flash."

He doesn't say anything. Instead that stupid grin remains plastered on his face.

Suddenly out of nowhere his fist comes flying at super speed into my chest and I fly backwards into the concrete wall. I groan, standing up slowly, only to be hit in the face again by and an equally fast punch. I can feel the blood pouring down my face from my now broken nose as I stand.

"Ok, listen sir, it was not on my bucket list to be beaten up by a man in a mask with super speed."

The man comes at me again, this time at my eye, and I can already feel it swelling as if it had super speed.

And then the ground leaves my feet and I'm suddenly in Barry's living room, being held up by the collar of my shirt.