ANOTHER STORY ANOTHER TIME

CHAPTER TEN * LIAM

Stiles walked quietly down the hallway ready to fall over. As he reached his door he could feel Ethan's heart rate, and for the first time it was actually calm and steady. Slowly entering the room, Stiles was happy to finally be able to get out of his uniform, he hadn't realized how humid it was in the forest reserve, so slipping the shirt off and then his under shirt he felt the coolness of the air conditioner and he felt like he could finally breath. He then shuffled out of the pants! He looked in his closet found an old tie-dye t-shirt and a pair of boxer briefs. Slowly he walked to the bathroom, did his business, cleaned his hands, then jumped into the shower he stood while the water drained on his face cooling him further. The evening events quickly flood back into his mind. He thought to himself out loud, 

"Was Lydia right, was there more to the friendship with Derek than I thought?" He asked himself out loud. He had told Derek that their time had come and gone, maybe he already knew all of this, "It just wasn't meant to be Sour Wolf, I've got Michael to find and bring home!" After toweling off he put on his boxer briefs and t-shirt, it was tight in the chest so he growled and stretched it out. He brushed his teeth, then he started back towards his room, but he wanted to check in on the twins first! Quietly Stiles opened the door, the first thing he saw was Liam laying on the floor in a sleeping bag next to the bed. Liam sleepily raised up,  

"Stiles is that you?", Stiles enters the room, turned and closed the door gently.

"Hey, bud I didn't mean to wake you, I wanted to check up on the twins!" Liam sat up against the bed, "So why are you on the floor?" Stiles calmly asked,

 "I stay here in case they wake up, they can see I'm always here to protect them!" Stiles sat down next to the younger man and felt happy and sad for him. 

"Liam, I swear I will do everything I can to protect them as well!" Looking into the eyes of his friend, Stiles eyes glowed red and Liam's glowed yellow. "First I could make it a bit more comfortable in here for you, rather than you sleep on the floor Bud!" Liam laid his head on Stiles's shoulder,

 "I missed you so much Stiles, it's like everyone was different without you here to buffer their attitudes!" Stiles felt a bit indifferent; he had always thought he was in the way and annoying! At this point he could feel the love that Liam was giving him. Liam continued, "Scott became unbearable, he started making really rash decisions putting the pack in danger, he needed you there to help think it through completely!" Stiles frowned, 

"I wish I could have helped!" Stiles leaned his head against Liam's. "Liam, may I ask you something, and be honest with me?" Liam turned somewhat,

 "I'll always be honest with you, I promise!" Stiles closed his eyes,

 "Why didn't anyone write to me when I was gone?" Liam sat up he could feel the pain his friend was in and wanted to assure him, 

"We did, we all did, even Derek, but every single letter we sent came back recipient not found, it was like you didn't exist!" Stiles was coming up blank, 

"Maybe it just kept arriving after I moved on, any way...It was a whole different world, like I woke up from a dream to a nightmare and there I was in basic training, then Iraq, then Africa, I did so many good things but sometimes it felt like the bad things outweighed the good. I never wanted to look civilians in the face, it turned me prejudice, I profiled almost everyone, I literally was scared to make eye contact!" Stiles eyes started to water up, "Liam I was always scared, it's like at any minute you or someone around you could get shot, I watched people I cared about get killed!" Stiles heart rate jumped, "It just hit me, now I Know why Derek doesn't get close to people, it like that in all war!" Liam cried a bit with him,