catastrophic ♕ teen wolf one shots

pompeii ~ reversed stelda

»how am i gonna be an optimist about this?«

~
[ early season one ]

"Zelda, I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" She asked eagerly, jumping onto his bed. He had called her over ten minutes previous and so she tied her brown hair into a messy bun and zoomed over to the Stilinski's household in her Volvo. "Is it about that mysterious Derek? About Scott and the game on Friday? Hmm? Well?" All these words fell out of Zelda's mouth like vomit but Zelda couldn't help herself.

She had known Stiles and Scott now for three years, the same amount of years that the brunette had been residing in Beacon Hills with her father Daniel--but not her mother.

"Actually, Zelda..." Stiles drawled out, unsure of how to begin. "It's got nothing to do about any of the things that have been happening over the past week. It's about...you."

"Me?" Zelda echoed, her jaw going slack.

"Yeah, you." He repeated, chuckling at the brunette."I have no idea how to say this, so I guess I'll just say it outright. I mean, I'm usually at the best at that, I can't say things without being blunt or sarcastic or at a normal rate--"

Stiles had now stood up, waving his arms about as he spoke rapidly, taking quick breaths. Zelda grabbed one of his hands to catch his attention. "Stiles, you're rambling."

"Right." He sat back down again. "Zelda...I...I-I..." in an attempt to turn his thoughts into coherant words, Stiles inhaled deeply before exhaling deeply. "I like you. I really like you."

Zelda's face dropped. "W-what?"

"I really, really like you. Ever since you stepped foot into that biology class when we were dissecting frogs three years ago, all thoughts about Lydia had disappeared and all I could hink about was your face, your hair, your smile. Your voice when you asked if you were in the right class.Your expression when you saw all the cut open frogs. I never stopped thinking about that and now I think that I might...love you."

Zelda said nothing. She told herself she was too stunned, too shocked to speak but in reality she was too scared to accept the feelings. To reciprocate them.

"You know," Stiles said, still holding onto Zelda's hand, "right about now would be the time for you to say something similar. That's what they do in the films." But she didn't.

A few moments of silence passsed, neither sure of what to ay. Well, Stiles didn't know what to say. He had said all he needed to say in the hopes that Zelda would the same.

"I can't." She whispered. She felt like cryingbecause she really wanted to say she loved him as well, to say that ever since he hit Greenberg for dropping a dead frog on her she had always thought of him as an angel with his erratic movements and quick speech. But the words wouldn't form, the emotion couldn't be conjured. Stiles never knew it, but since her mother died, Zelda had always felt empty. Yes, she was happy at times and could feel the emotion that consisted of feeling elated but truly, Zelda didn't feel the feeling in the depths of her soul.

Truly, Zelda felt nothing.

She could've left then, to avoid anymore of his awkward and heartbreaking situation that was developing. And maybe in another life she did, but now, at that moment in time, Zelda was frozen.

Suddenly, Stiles got up, ripping his hand from Zelda's grasp. He went to grab his keys to the jeep and began heading towards the door of his bedroom.

"Stiles! Don't go!" She cried, her voice cracking as tears began to prick at her eyes. "You don't understand why I can't say it back." No answer. "What do you want me to say? Please, Stiles, you can't just leave your own ouse. I don't know what to do!"