Werefox

Chapter Sixteen

"Stiles," Derek said, voice muffled. The pair was up in the alpha's bedroom, fitted into each other as Stiles pressed the snooze button on his alarm for what seemed to be the fourth time.

"You need to get up, Stiles." Derek said, sitting up, making the younger boy groan as his warm presence disappeared.

"What if I stayed home?" Stiles mumbled, rolling onto his back and stretching. "Deaton said I shouldn't overexert myself too much."

"You were playing lacrosse with Liam and Isaac yesterday." Derek pointed out, pulling the covers off of Stiles, making him whine.

"It's so cold!" Stiles said, sitting up. Derek chuckled, finding Stiles' tousled bed hair and sleepy eyes adorable.

"I'll get you some clothes." Derek said, knowing he wasn't going to get out of bed until the last possible moment. He walked to their closet, which was most of his clothes but Stiles' wardrobe was slowly growing as he got Scott's old clothes and when Allison and Lydia would take him and Malia shopping (because the werecoyote was never a big shopper either). He pulled out a pair of Stiles' jeans and a flannel, which seemed to be one of Stiles' favorite things to wear.

"Come on, you have to get dressed." Derek said, sitting back down on the bed. Stiles' eyes were already closed, as if he was trying to go back to sleep. Derek scowled, sighing as he leaned forwards, pulling Stiles' shirt off of him as the boy began to smirk.

Instead, Derek just helped him get dressed, making the boy groan as he realized that he was just trying to get him to get ready for school.

By the time Derek got Stiles dressed, he barely had ten minutes before his first class started. Stiles finally decided to get up and out of bed after Derek promised him that after lacrosse they could go out for ice cream.

"You are a child," Derek said goodnaturedly as he watched Stiles lean back in his seat, stretching.

"But I'm your favorite child," Stiles smiled cheekily, making Derek look at him as he pulled into the school parking lot.

"Get to school," Derek said, smiling as Stiles pecked his cheek before leaving the car, dashing into the school as the bell rang.

Stiles wasn't able to get to class, however, because he was stopped in the hallway by a teacher.

Of course it had to be the substitute who stunk of foxglove. Fuck this shit, honestly.

"Mr. Stilinski." She said, a fake smile on her face. "My name is Mrs. Argent, I don't think you were aware of that." Stiles nodded, glancing down the hallways, wishing desperately that someone from the pack would walk and see his dilemma, recognize that a hunter was talking to him and it was someone related to Gerard, the man who had just tried to drain him of all his blood not three days before.

"As a guidance counselor, I feel that it is important that I meet with any new students and see how they are adjusting." She said, her voice dripping in passive-aggressiveness that made Stiles gulp. "When are you free to meet today?"

"I can meet during lunch." Stiles said, his voice small. She frowned, shaking her head a little bit as if that wasn't good enough.

"I don't think your anatomy teacher would mind if I pulled you out for just a few minutes of class, seeing as you're already late." Mrs. Argent said. "Am I correct?"

"Y-yeah." Stiles said. "I'm sure she's fine with it." She nodded, gesturing for him to follow her to probably where her office was.

Stiles' phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket as he trailed behind the woman, his heart beating quickly, but he attempted to keep it under control as he looked at his texts.

Theo: where are you?

Stiles' heart soared as he realized that Theo recognized his absence, looking up at the guidance counselor in front of him.

Stiles: the guidance counselor mrs. argent wanted me to talk to her in her office.

Please Theo, say something. He thought desperately, realizing that they were not going in the direction of the office where he thought the guidance offices were.

"I thought the guidance offices were by the main office?" Stiles asked, his phone vibrating once more. She looked at him, her gaze snapping down to where he was looking at his phone.

"No phones in school, Mr. Stilinski." She said, stopping. She held out her hand expectantly, and Stiles reluctantly handing it over, Theo's last message ringing in her ears.

Mrs. Argent doesn't even work here.

Stiles shoved his hands in his pockets to stop them from shaking as she continued down the hallway, walking down the small set of stairs towards where the boys locker room was and the coach

"You never answered my question." Stiles said, his shoulders tense.

"My office is being renovated so I'm situated near Coach Finstock's office." She said, making Stiles scowl. He didn't feel as nervous, because he felt good, felt energized, much better than how he did a few days ago, and the presence of the poison was not as significant as it was the first time he met her. And he was in a school, he could easily yell and have ten teachers come to see what the screams were about.

What he didn't realize, not by his own fault, that she was taking him towards the basement. He didn't realize that Coach Finstock's office was to the left of the stairs, not the right, purely because he was new; maybe, if she had approached him a week later, when he was more aware of the building and its many hallways, he would've realized that the door she opened and gestured for him to go into was leading towards the basement, when he was instead focused on his vibrating phone in the pocket of her sweater, knowing that Theo was probably trying to get in contact with him.

He also would've noticed as she reached up behind his head, holding the book she had in her arms before in both hands and smashing it against the back of his head, sending the fox tumbling down the stairs.