Skin to Scales

o n e - r e t u r n i n g a l p h a

06/03/2017 19:21 - 07/03/2017 18:06
edited 23/07/2020

Stiles leant against the lockers.

"Why are we in here?" He asked, watching Isaac lock the door to the boys' locker room.

"Because we don't know how you'll react." Scott replied, standing six feet in front of his best friend.

"Try me." Stiles stood up a little straighter, but still wasn't paying much attention to what they were saying.

"Derek's back." Scott stated in a clear, but careful, voice.

"Cool." Stiles shrugged and started making his way to the door.

Then, the realisation hit him.

"Shit. Derek's back? Does he know about Dad? Fuck, he's the only one that doesn't know about me." His chest was rising and falling dramatically faster than before and each breath was a wheeze as the room started rotating around him. "What if he doesn't trust me anymore? What if he leaves again? I can't do that to you guys. Shit, I should just go and live on the preserve. Crap. I can't stay there. I'll have to find somewhere else." He was gripping his hair and slowly folding in on himself. "He'll smell me there. I can't go that long without the water. Oh my god. There's nowhere within at least an hour's drive." He let himself sink to his knees as the room settled on spinning at a steadier pace than before, now matching his heart beat.

"Stiles, you're glowing." Isaac mumbled.

"You idiot." Scott hissed and a soft thudding sound was distant in Stiles' ears. "That's the least of his worries."

"I can't. I. He. You. We. Dad. I. I. What if-? I can't. He'll leave. You can't. I-" Stiles was a trembling mess on the floor.

"Stiles, listen to me, buddy." Scott held his best friend's shoulders in a firm grip, steadying his rocking. "I went to see him yesterday. He's staying at the house, but I don't think he knows where your lake is, or that you've been on the preserve. Anyway, he's much happier this time. No more growling, no more door slamming, no more grumpy asshole." Scott was trying his damnedest to calm his anxious wreck of a friend, but it clearly wasn't working as Stiles spiraled into another fit of spluttering incoherent noises.

"He's been going between the loft and the house today." Isaac told them loudly, ensuring Stiles could hear him. "He hasn't actually been out on the preserve and I don't think he will for a while, if I'm honest."

Stiles calmed minutely, his rocking easing, but his breathing was still rough and erratic.

"Hey, what happened to Stiles? The guy that couldn't be affected by a werewolf? The guy that was fearless? The guy that was the master of control?" Scott asked, trying to lighten the mood slightly by quoting his best friend.

After a few moments of increasingly more controlled breaths, the teen sat back on his heels. "Ok. I'm ok." Stiles mumbled quietly, hands shaking as he continued to calm his breathing. "Just... give me a sec." He rubbed his eyes as he concentrated on his racing heart, trying to get it to slow until it matched his breathing. "I just... I guess I wasn't expecting that." He blinked a few times, opening his eyes wide each time before slowly getting up.

Scott's hands hovered above Stiles' shoulders as the teen regained his balance.

"I'm ok." Stiles repeated, giving Scott and Isaac a mildly convincing smile.

"You're, uh, you're still glowing." Isaac mumbled, stepping away from Scott as he did so.

Stiles looked down, watching his body emit a purply-blue glow.