ANNNDD WE'RE BACK. I LOVE YOU.

ANNNDD WE'RE BACK. I LOVE YOU.

Upside Down Feelings 11

Chapter One: MADMAX

summary: Just another normal school day for Y/N’s crew followed by a dinner with Barb’s parents and a moment alone with Steve

word count: 3232

“I don’t know about this, Nancy!” You called from her bathroom, looking in the mirror to see your costume. Nancy came up with the oh-so brilliant idea of going as a sexy devil and angel for Halloween this year. She was the angel, of course. Leaving you in a skimpy, tight and short red dress that showed off your figure in a way nothing ever has before. “It’s too much! I’m not comfortable with this!”

“Oh, my God,” She laughed. “Just step out already! Let me see!”

You stepped out, revealing the lacy dress paired with thigh high, heeled boots and shiny devil horns. Her jaw dropped at the sight of you.

“Woah,” She muttered. “I’ve never seen you look so..”

“What?” Your voice pitched as you turned around to look in her mirror. “It’s too slutty, isn’t it? I knew I didn’t have the body to pull this off-“

“No, no! You look..” She said before grinning. “Really sexy. I know you and Eddie aren’t anything serious but you should totally swing by his place in that outfit. I have a feeling you’d have the night of your life.”

“I told you that I didn’t want to spend Halloween in a skin tight-” You rolled your eyes before hearing her door open. You jumped back, looking around for something to cover up with as you heard her brother speak up.

“Nancy, I hope you don’t-… woah..” Mike muttered. “Y/N, you look… woah..”

“EW, GET OUT!” You both shouted. He quickly snapped out of his trance before opening Nancy’s sock drawer and taking out the piggy bank.

“I’m sorry! I’ll pay you back!” He said before darting out of the room.

“MIKE! WHAT THE HELL?!” Nancy took off after him, leaving her door open. You quickly ran back into the bathroom, leaning on the door and taking a breath.

And then an idea dawned on you.

“That motherfucker. I knew I was missing some change,” You muttered before changing into your clothes, prepping yourself to drive home and check your own piggy bank. You made sure to leave the costume on her counter before you left.

———

“Dustin, would you please just shut the hell up about this already?” You groaned as you pulled into the school parking lot. “I’m not giving you any more quarters just because Mad Matt-“

“Max! Mad Max! God, do you even listen to a word I say?!” He huffed, crossing his arms.

“-All because Mad Max beat your score!” You ignored, sticking out your tongue slightly as you focused on parking into the spot next to Steve. Your brother stayed quiet, knowing parking always required your undivided attention.

“I’ll clean your room for a week!” He finally said as soon as you put the vehicle in park.

“I’ve seen your cleaning. I’m not impressed,” You scoffed, leaning back to grab your bag.

“And I’ll wash the Bronco!” He pleaded. You hopped out of your car, knocking on Steve’s passenger window and bending down to wave at Nancy. She smiled up at you, holding up a finger before she continued to read the paper in her hands.

“I don’t want your grimy hands touching the Bronco,” You said as you began making your way towards the high school, making his jaw drop.

“Y/N, listen. I’m gonna make you a deal you can’t refuse-“

“You wanna bet? No, no, and just in case you didn’t catch it before,” You turned around and gave him a mean glare. “No.”

“Okay, I can see you’re upset. We can talk about it later,” He sighed as he watched you jog to catch up with Robin before he headed towards the middle school.

———

“Could you please convince Jonathan to go to Tina’s party with us?” Nancy groaned, before dramatically leaning on her locker that sat beside yours and dangling an orange paper in your face. You smiled, looking over at Jonathan before glancing down at the paper.

TINA’S HALLOWEEN BASH

Come and get Sheet Faced

“See, I would, but,” You sighed just as dramatically. “I don’t wanna go either.”

“What?!”

“Thank you!” He laughed.

“Please don’t tell me you’re both taking your brothers trick or treating.”

“Wh- Oh, my God!” You pointed at Jonathan, faking a surprised look.

“No way! You’re going trick or treating with the boys too?” He mirrored you.

“You guys suck,” Nancy huffed. “Just-just come! I mean, who knows? You might even meet someone-“

She was interrupted by her own surprised squeal as Steve snuck up behind her and picked her up from behind. He put her down and she twirled around to slap him in the arm. He laughed and pulled her in by her waist.

“God, take those stupid things off,” She giggled.

“I missed you,” He smiled.

“It’s been like an hour.”

“Tell me about it,” He muttered before pulling her in by her neck and embracing her. You looked over at Jonathan with a look of disgust and he did the same. You closed your locker and nodded as if to say let’s go.

“Do they have to do that right in front of us?” He muttered.

“Tell me about it,” You mimicked, making him chuckle. “She’s trying to convince me to be the sexy devil to her sexy angel for Tina’s party. She bought me a costume. Made me try it on and everything.”

“And?” He raised his brows as he walked up to his locker.

“And it’s just not me,” You shrugged. “I don’t wanna wear a skimpy dress to a party full of people who didn’t know my name prior to my best friend becoming popular. I don’t even like most of them. I was kinda hoping to just take the boys trick or treating and then making a few mixtapes with Robin or something.”

“You got room for a plus one?” He asked. You smiled for a moment before shrugging.

“That depends,” You said. “Would you bring a cassette by the Talking Heads so I can put it into a mixtape?”

“Yeah, why not?” He smiled.

“Then yes,” You said, glancing over to catch Steve’s gaze from down the hallway before you both quickly turned away. “Gotta get to class. I’ll let you know the details later.”

———

“Y/N!” Dustin shouted as you walked up to your vehicle. He picked up his pace into a jog to meet you there.

“If you’re going to ask for more quarters, then you should know that the answer is still-“

“No! We just need a ride to the arcade!” He said quickly.

“We? Who’s we?”

“Me and Lucas.”

“I don’t see a Lucas,” You said after looking around.

“He’s finishing up a test. He’ll be out in like three minutes,” Dustin explained, looking at you expectedly. “So?”

“Okay, fine,” You huffed. “Get in. But if he takes longer than ten minutes, we’re leaving without him.”

“Hey, Henderson!” You heard a familiar voice call from behind you as Dustin hopped in. You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath. It felt like everyone required your attention today; you just wanted to go home. You pretended to ignore it and open your door before the voice caught up with you. “Y/N! Hey! Wait!”

“What?” You whined, turning around to face Steve.

“Woah. Jesus, who pissed in your cornflakes this morning?” He scoffed. “I was just going to ask if we’re still on tonight?”

You furrowed your brows.

“What’s tonight?”

“Dinner with Barbs parents?” He offered. You groaned and leaned your head against your car door. “I know. My reaction exactly.”

“We’re still doing that?” You asked. “Jesus. I don’t think I can sit through another meal at my dead friend’s kitchen table while her parents talk about finding her. Can I take another raincheck? I have plans.”

“Yeah, well, take it up with Nance,” He shrugged, leaning against his own car that sat beside your own. “I have a college essay I should be working on but I’m getting dragged along too. If you’re not going, then neither am I.”

“Why?” You paused before pouting. “Aw, are you going to miss me?”

“No, because if I have to suffer through another morbid dinner, then so do you!” He bit back. “I’d honestly prefer if you weren’t there.”

“What a coincidence! Me too! Welp, that solves our problem! Have fun tonight, though,” You smiled sarcastically, turning around to open your door before watching as his hand pushing it closed again.

“Oh, no, no, no. You’re not getting off that easy,” He frowned as you twirled around with frustration. His hand remained on the door behind you as he continued to quickly spew out his frustrated ramble. “Their house smells weird, her mom never stops talking, her dad never stops staring, and if I have to see that damn shrine again, I might actually pull my hair out. So whatever plans you have, cancel them. Because I need your argumentative ass there to entertain me and keep me from completely losing my god damned mind! So just-…” He drew in a deep breath before softening up his tone. “Please.”

He looked into your eyes with parted lips, a bit out of breath from his rant. Maybe it was his pleading eyes or the way he clapped his hands together as if he were praying to you, but boy, did he know how to get his way.

“Fine,” You rolled your eyes. “Now move your hand so I can go home and get ready.”

He stepped back, holding both hands up next to his head as he watched you climb into the Bronco.

“See you at 7:00!” He called after you shut your door. You smiled and flipped the bird, making him chuckle as he walked away and Lucas climbed into your backseat.

“Asshole,” You muttered under your breath.

“Bitch,” Steve breathed as he got into his car.

———

“I’m so sorry I didn’t get to cook,” Barb’s mom, Marsha looked up from her plate filled with KFC chicken and mashed potatoes. “I was gonna make that baked ziti you guys like so much, but I just forgot about the time, and before you know it, Oh, my God, it’s five o’clock! Which reminds me! Have I told you about-“

Oh, my God, you thought halfway through her spiel. This woman could make the Queen’s Guard break their silence just so they could tell her to shut up.

You caught Steve’s gaze and widened your eyes with annoyance, making him smile and mouth, Right?

“It’s fine,” Nancy said after a few minutes.

“Yeah, it’s great!” Steve nodded. They all looked at you who sat with a zoned out expression before he kicked your leg under the table.

“Yeah, I love KFC!” You quickly chimed in, picking up a spoonful of mashed potatoes and stuffing it in your mouth. “Mm! Delicious!”

Mr. and Mrs. Holland smiled before they began digging in themselves. You all continued with your dinner, allowing Marsha to talk your ears off with conversation. You’d occasionally throw in some Oh’s, That’s nice’s, Mhm’s as you zoned out completely again.

“Have you heard of him?”

“No,” Nancy looked over at you both.

“No, I don’t think so,” Steve said, glancing over at you before noticing you’d zoned out again. “How about you, Y/N?”

“Hm? Oh yeah, great choice, Mrs. Holland!,” You smiled, still thinking they were talking about the food. Steve let out a small chuckle before turning his attention back to the older couple.

“Oh, so you’ve heard of him?” Marsha grinned.

“Um… Y-Yeah! Who hasn’t?” You chuckled nervously, praying that you were answering the way you were supposed to. You were careful to avoid the gaze of the boy next to you. “I hear he’s awesome…”

“He is!” She grinned before looking over at the two in front of her. “He was an investigative journalist for the Chicago Sun-Times. He’s freelance now, and he agreed to take the case!”

“O-Oh, that’s great!” Steve offered in a sweet tone. “No, that’s really.. That’s great, right?”

You nodded hesitantly before looking over at Nancy.

“Um, what exactly does that mean?” She smiled.

“Means he’s gonna do what that lazy son of a bitch Jim Hop-“ Mr. Holland began before his wife placed a hand on him arm. “Sorry… What the Hawkins police haven’t been capable of doing. Means we have a real detective on the case.”

He looked over at you and kept his gaze on you, watching eagerly to see how you’d respond. Jesus, he really did have a staring problem.

“It means,” Mrs. Holland’s voice cracked as she smiled. “We’re going to find our Barb.”

“If anyone can find her, it’s this man,” He said, looking at you. “He already has leads. By God, he’s worth every last penny.”

“Hold on.. I-Is that why you’re selling the house?” You stammered, feeling your heart drop.

“Don’t worry about us, sweetie. We’re fine,” Marsha grinned. “More than fine! For the first time in a long time, we’re hopeful.”

That felt like a punch to the gut; her words almost knocked the wind out of you. You wished more than anything that you could tell her the truth, that her baby was never coming home. That she met a horrible fate, one that you almost met yourselves. You swallowed hard, pursing your lips and faking a smile when they looked over at you.

“Excuse me,” Nancy whispered with tears in her eyes. “I’ll be right back.”

She got up and made her way to the bathroom, leaving both you and Steve alone to continue with the small talk and niceties. You both smiled and took a large bite out of your chicken. You reached for your Coke and brought it up to your lips for a sip.

“It’s finger-lickin’ good,” He smiled. You laughed into the dark liquid, making it spill all over your white blouse.

“Oh, honey! Are you alright?” Marsha furrowed her brows with concern.

“Yeah! Yeah! Um- Yes, I just, uh-“ You looked over at Steve for help.

“She’s getting over a cold!” He nodded.

“A cold!” You repeated. “I just have a cough is all.”

“Right!” He agreed before looking over at you. “What did I tell you about drinking out of open cups, you silly goose?”

“I-“ You bit your lip to hold back the cackle that threatened to come out, opting to shrug instead.

“Do you want to borrow one of Barbara’s shirts?” She smiled. “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind!”

“No,” You said a little too quickly before letting out another nervous chuckle. Steve was having the time of his life watching you scramble for words to dig you out of the spotlight. “No, it’s alright. It- uh, I think- I just.. um.. No. Thank you, though..”

“Smooth,” Steve coughed in his hand, earning the confused looks from her parents. You kicked his leg under the table and he smiled innocently up at the couple in front of him before coughing into his arm again. “I think I might be coming down with the same thing.”

You narrowed your eyes as Marsha continued to talk about the wildest story from her days as the school secretary. Steve smiled and pretended to listen attentively, pretending as if you weren’t staring into his soul as you pat yourself down with napkins.

———

“Thanks for the ride,” You said mindlessly as you grabbed your backpack from your feet. You took shotgun as soon as Nancy got out at her house. She insisted on being taken home first.

“Yeah, no problem,” He sighed, watching as you reached for the door handle before you paused and turned to him with a smile.

“You’re an asshole, by the way,” You said. He feigned innocence, acting offended by your comment. “Finger lickin’ good? You totally waited until I was taking a sip to say that!”

“What? It was!”

“You know, I’d almost believe you if you didn’t throw in that silly goose comment directly after that. What the fuck was that?”

He threw back his head in genuine laughter.

“Okay, you have to admit that one was funny too,” He smiled. You scoffed and hit his shoulder. “I mean, you should’ve seen your face! You were forcing this frown in effort of holding back your smile! It was so, uh.. It was so-“

Cute, he wanted to say. It was sitting on the tip of his tongue, ready to speak into existence. His brain almost felt unsatisfied when he stopped himself, like an itch that he couldn’t scratch.

“It was fucked up, was what it was!” You rolled your eyes, finally giving into the laughter after hearing him wheeze at your comment. “Stop laughing! This was my favorite shirt, asshole! Apologize!”

“Aw, okay, okay,” He smiled, looking into your eyes as he patted your leg before chuckling throughout the entirety of the next sentence. “I’m sorry for- making you laugh into your Coke-”

“You can’t even get through the whole apology without laughing,” You giggled. “Try again!”

He sighed before he readjusted in his seat to look you dead in the eyes, forgetting to remove his hand from your knee. This is certainly not what you wanted. You didn’t expect to feel the warmth of his fingers bleed through your jeans and onto your knee. You didn’t expect for his eyes to look into yours for an usually long amount of time. You felt your heart skip a beat as you watched him smile softly and continue with a genuine tone.

“I’m sorry for ruining your shirt. Truly,” His brown eyes dance all over your face, as if he were trying to take you all in at once. “And for putting you in an awkward situation tonight. I swear I won’t do it again. Well- At least, not at the Hollands’ house.”

He continued to look at you with relaxed lids with the corners of his mouth only barely pulled upwards. Everything about him in that moment seemed so gentle and sweet, even his gaze. There were times where you could honestly say you hated this boy. Hell, you swore you hated him about three times in the past 24 hours. But when he stopped trying to go out of his way to be an annoying asshole, you almost felt drawn to him. There was something about this side of him that made you feel a warm sensation built in your chest that demanded to be felt, no matter how badly you wanted to bury it down.

It was only when his thumb subconsciously began to rub your leg when your eyes looked down at it, making him snap out of the trance. He yanked his hand back, almost as if he didn’t realize what he was doing, before you grabbed your bag and opened the door.

“Thanks for the ride!” You said quickly, without looking back at him again. “Have a good night!”

“Yeah! You too!” He said as you shut the door and jogged in. He clenched his eyes shut and let his head fall back on the headrest behind him.

“Y/N!” Your brother called, making you jump as you marched towards your house. “Check this out! I found a-“

“Jesus, Dustin! Not now!” You huffed, walking past him and slamming the front door behind you.

“… What’s her problem?” He frowned, looking out at the familiar car that now sped down his block.

———

PLEASE CHECK IN EVERY MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, AND FRIDAY AT 7:00 PM CTD FOR NEW CHAPTERS! (taglist is now closed)

As always, please feel free to DM me or leave a comment on my stories! I love to hear your feedback and interact with all of you!! Don’t forget to like and reblog, it really helps me out!

a/n: AND WE'RE BACKKK!! so excited to show you this new season! I did want to make a bit of a disclaimer: This season is going to be a short one bc Y/N will not be joining Nancy and Jonathan on their adventures. You'll see whyyy in the following chapters, but on the bright side, ✨more Steve content✨

@werewolfbanshee-love @reallysparklychaos @katsukiswrld @yashirawr @grfields @001andeddiearetodiefor @thatmarvelchick19 @fixtionlover @idkwhyimhere013 @b3rrysoda @tpwkhollandd @dawnyboy @rexorangecouny @kimmchijjajang @efvyqrs @lou-la-lou @nycbaby21 @satsuri3su @agustdeeyaa @boisteroussquirrel @fangeekkk @persephonesnebula @starstruckspring @bbyharlow @edithsvoice @harrycanyonmoonn @sharkswithsocks @xm00nl1ght @okei888 @lqveharrington @earthtostory @boobabietch @captainmarvelindisguise @astrumark @idfvc @hannahdoesstuff @homeofthepeculiar @potatoflavoured @binxy @ultrunning @azgucci @blogginjh @burdenedbliss @chervbs @lentil-s0up @ameliabs-world @mess-is-my-aesthetic @hopefulgardenerfun @mitchloveswriting

if steve dies… 🔪

everyone follow @aristrocrat , turn notifs on and stay tuned! you dont wanna miss this 💖💖

when's the next chapter coming out? 🥺

Hi, all!! So after the release of the last two episodes, I decided to reroute the direction of this story. I deleted what I had written (shout out to the brilliant @mitchloveswriting for all of her help and for holding my hand through the last through episodes) and decided to start episode 3 from scratch. That being said, Episode 3 will be released July 11th, and we will resume to our MFW schedule.

@aristrocrat my love 💘👑

reblog to send your writer friends (or yourself) a pat on the back and to let them know you’re proud of them.

GUYYYYSSAS ITS TAKDN ME ALL DAY TO GET TO THIS AND ITS ALWAYS WORTH IT ILYILY 💘

Chapter 4

S2 Episode Four

SUMMARY: Stiles witnesses a new attack firsthand. The pack tries to get a hold of the bestiary. Y/N and Scott continue the dating charade and finally find out what the hell the new monster is.

WORD COUNT: 7719 *gasps and clutches pearls*

TW: cursing, arguing i feel like i need to stop posting a tw bc these mfs stay cursing and arguing

“They’re coming back, so we don’t have much time to talk,” Deaton explained before checking Scott’s wound, only to see a healthy scar beginning to disappear. “Delvoux blood. Powerful stuff, huh?”

“How do you know all of this?” Scott questioned as you stepped back towards Stiles, his hand instantly made his way to the small of your back. “Actually how do you know anything?”

“It’s a long story,” He replied. “What I can tell you is that I know about your kind. Your kind, I can help. Y/N, I can only tell you what I know. The rest is up to you. But this?”

He motioned over his shoulder.

“This is something different.”

“Do you know what did it?” You asked, desperately wanting to ask more questions about his previous comment but refraining due to the urgency of the situation.

“No. But the Argents will. And this is the crucial part,” Deaton looked back at Scott, speaking urgently. “They’ll have some kind of record or book. Little have descriptions, history, notations of all the things they’ve discovered.”

“All the things?” Stiles whined. “How many different things are there?”

“They’re here,” Scott breathed. You both looked over at him with wide eyes before you all opted to run into the dark hallway that led towards the kennels. Scott made sure to stand the closest to the door in an effort to protect his best friends. His eyes looked over at you before slowly putting his index finger to his lips. You nodded.

“I’m starting to think I need to buy a more prominent close sign,” Deaton spoke, warning you all of their presence. Stiles noticed the fear in your eyes and took your hand in his reassuringly.

You all listened into the tense conversation; the creature had easily cut through bone and organs with a single swipe. It was evident that it was no longer just werewolves and hunters you needed to fear; this was an entirely new beast. Something faster, stronger, and more dangerous. It didn’t seek to eat prey like the usual natural predators; it’s only purpose was to kill.

After they left, Deaton told you all to go home. He didn’t want you to stay too long with this killer on the loose. You all crawled back into your car and made your way to the Beacon Hills car shop. You all spoke of the night before deciding to put a pin in the conversation so that you could all gather your thoughts and brainstorm ideas.

“Are you sure you don’t want us to come with you?” You furrowed your brows.

“Yeah, I’m sure. It's gonna take about an hour anyway. You need to get the car back to your dad. I don’t want you to piss him off,” Stiles smiled. You sighed. “I’ll be fine. Get outta here!”

“Okay! Okay!” You laughed as he reached over to kiss your cheek before making his exit. Scott was quick to take the front seat. “God, I can’t wait to have my own car.”

“Join the club,” He chuckled before you drove away. You had intended on driving him back to his car but you took off into one of your usual conversations, stopping to sing along to one of your dad’s infamous burned CDs. You pulled into the school parking lot and parked next to Melissa’s car, only to spend the next hour and a half chatting and giggling. Once the much needed, lighthearted conversation came to a lull, you both decided to talk about the night’s events again for the next twenty minutes.

“I think it should be pretty easy to convince Allison to help us get that journal,” Scott shrugged, readjusting in his seat before sighing. “I’m actually still a little bummed that she canceled on me tonight. I was really looking forward to seeing her tonight.”

“Oh, I’m sure you were,” You rolled your eyes, making him laugh. “Hey, at least you got to spend time with your best friend!”

“Yeah, except he had to go to the shop,” Scott smirked. Your jaw dropped as you playfully punched his arm.

“Asshole!” You laughed.

“I’m kidding! I’m kidding!” He giggled. “This has actually been really nice.“

The sound of your distinct ringtone went off, reminding you that it had been well over an hour since you’ve heard from your boyfriend. You looked down and saw his caller ID.

“Hold that thought,” You smiled before answering. “Hello?”

“Y/N. Could you come pick me up?” Stiles’ voice sounded frantic.

“Yeah. What’s wrong?” You sat up, gaining Scott’s full attention. The car fell to silence, only the sound of the faint rainfall and phone call protruded through it.

“I saw the monster,” His voice was shaky. “I have no clue how it did it but it paralyzed me somehow.”

“Oh my god. Are you okay?” You felt your heart sink.

“Yeah, I am but..” He trailed off. Just from the way he spoke, you knew he saw the monster claim its latest victim. He sighed. “Can you, uh.. could you come pick me up?“

“We’re on the way,” You responded. Scott buckled in again as you sped back towards Tucker’s garage. It didn’t take very long to arrive seeing as you frantically sped down the streets of Beacon Hills. You were greeted with a line up of cop cars and ambulances. “What the hell..?”

Scott looked over to catch Stiles walk towards the car before taking a seat in the back of your father’s car. You both turned to him, hearing his shaky breaths. The rain had now picked up. He was soaked.

“I saw it. I had temporary paralysis too but it didn’t come anywhere near me. I think it was from skin contact to its venom,” He began, looking at his hands. He went on to explain everything he saw and experienced that night; the reptilian beast, the way it crushed Tucker, the way it just ran away after seeing him. “Deaton was right. It's not like you. I mean, its eyes were almost, like... reptilian. But there was something about them.”

“What do you mean?” Scott asked.

“You know when you see, like, a friend in a Halloween mask, but all you can see are their eyes? And you feel like you know 'em, but you just can't figure out who it is?” Stiles finally looked up, careful to avoid your gaze. Your soft, caring, ever-loving gaze; it would cripple him emotionally after witnessing the horrendous death of a man. You didn’t take it to heart, you knew him well enough to realize that he was trying his hardest to push off the impending panic attack.

“Are you saying you know who it is?” Scott furrowed his brow.

“No,” Stiles shook his head, looking back down for a second. “But I think it knew me.”

———

You dropped Scott off at the school once again before driving back to your place. The second he hopped in front, you didn’t pressure him to talk. You simply took his hand in yours and asked, “Your place or mine?”

“Can we drop by my house so I can pick up some clothes? I can’t drive us to school tomorrow because they’re impounding my Jeep,” Stiles’ eyes wandered to your delicate hand in his own, rubbing at the back of it with his thumb.

“I almost forgot about that. Yeah, for sure,” You nodded, making a quick stop at his house and quickly returning to your father’s apartment. You explained enough of the night’s events to your dad. He wasn’t angry and even agreed to letting Stiles stay the night again. You warmed up leftovers and ate in a comfortable silence before going to bed.

Stiles finally opened up about the night; not just the events but how they made him feel. The task that had been impossible in the past was effortless when he had you in his arms. Being vulnerable around you was second nature now, especially when you rubbed his chest the way you were in that moment.

You fell asleep before him, and with that, so did his racing mind. His thoughts slowly came to a stop the more he talked to you, but nothing calmed him down more than when he heard the familiar sounds of your drowsy breathing. He rested easy with your arm wrapped lazily around his torso as you slept peacefully beside him.

———

“I'm so sorry about the other day. I'm trying. We'll get through this. Uh, I know, because I love you. I love you more than-“ Stiles cut himself off at the sound of your giggles, looking away from Scott before groaning. “Oh, my God, I can't. You and Allison just have to find a better way to communicate.”

“Come on, you guys are the only ones that we can trust!” Scott pleased before shifting his attention to you. “Is she coming to the game tonight?”

“Mhm. She said she wouldn’t miss it for the world,” You smiled. “But we really need to get that journal. I’d offer to go talk to her but I have class in a couple minutes.”

“I think Deaton meant to call it a Bestiary,” Stiles replied.

“What?” Scott asked.

“A Bestiary.”

“I think you mean bestiality,” Scott giggled.

“No, dumbass. It's like an encyclopedia of mythical creatures,” You chuckled.

“How am I the only one who doesn't know anything about this stuff?”

“Okay, you're our best friend, you're a creature of the night... It's kind of, like, a priority of ours,” Stiles explained.

“Okay. If we can find it, it can tell us what this thing is-“ Scott began.

“And who,” You chimed in.

“...We need that book!” The boys shouted simultaneously.

“Keep me updated?” You stood up, gathering your book and binder into your arms. “I really need to get to class.”

———

“She thought it was bestiality too?!” You threw your head back in laughter as you drove Stiles to the Lacrosse field for the game. “I do not want to know what’s going on in their heads.”

“That’s exactly what I said!” He grinned. “Thanks for the ride. I gotta go warm up! I love you!”

“I love you too,” You giggled, getting out of the car. The stadium was already filling up with eager lacrosse fans.

Your eyes panned over the crowd, seeing Allison sitting with her grandfather and making a mental note to steer clear until she gave you the signal for when she got a hold of the keys. You opted to take a seat next to Melissa, hugging her as you greeted her.

“Hi, sweetheart!” She grinned, holding you tightly before scooting over and patting the seat next to her. “I was saving you a seat.”

“Thank you!” You smiled, happily plopping down next to her.

“I find it so odd that you want to sit next to me instead of your friends,” She laughed.

“We’ve been lacrosse buddies since middle school! I’m not about to give up that title just because I made new friends this year,” You shrugged. “Plus, you’re cooler than they are.”

“You mind telling Scott that?” Melissa joked, making you chuckle. “Oh! It’s starting!”

You watched as the boy nicknamed The Abomination plowed through a good percentage of the team, leaving Coach no choice but to play the kids he would otherwise never give a chance. You looked over at Allison to see her holding out three fingers as the keys dangled from her hand. The signal.

“I’ll be right back,” You excused yourself.

“Okay, sweetie,” Melissa smiled. “I’m gonna go get some popcorn.”

You both got up and walked your separate ways. You made your way to Allison, reaching for the keys, only to see Stiles’ hand beat you to it. He looked back and smirked as you jogged to catch up to him, making his way to the school.

“Hey! That was my job,” You giggled.

“Sorry, I just couldn’t stand to watch that Hulk of a man break another set of legs,” He shivered.

“Jesus, that guy is OP as fuck,” You huffed. “You think he’s a werewolf?”

“No, Scott would’ve noticed by now I think,” He shook his head.

“Oh, so he’s on steroids,” You smiled at the ground as you stepped onto the sidewalk.

“Oh yeah. Man's roided up,” He chuckled. “Man, I really thought it was him too. I don’t think this is gonna be as easy as we thought it was.”

“What? Who said this was gonna be easy?” You laughed.

“Scott,” Stiles paused as you raised your brows. “Okay, yeah. That’s on me for believing him. He’s a dumbass.”

“Such a dumbass. But he’s our dumbass,” You commented, making him chuckle.

You continued to talk for a few more minutes before you heard sobbing coming from a familiar car. “Oh my god. Is that Lydia?”

“Fuck,” You breathed. “I should probably go talk to her. You good going in by yourself?”

“Yeah, it should be easy enough. Go check up on her, I got this covered,” He smiled, giving you a quick kiss before jogging into the building. You drew in a breath, still a little bitter about the way she treated you the other night. Regardless, you swallowed your pride and walked up to her car.

“Hey, Lydia,” You said softly, making her jump. “It’s just me. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” She wiped her tears. “It’s okay if you don’t wanna talk. I’ve been such a bitch to you lately.”

“Yeah, maybe a little,” You smiled, making her chuckle through the tears. “But you’re still my friend. Can I hop in?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it… but, uh.. I could use some company,” She said as you settled into her passenger’s seat.

“Okay,” You nodded, placing a reassuring hand on her back. Lydia cried for a few more minutes as you gently rubbed up and down her back. Once she collected herself again, she apologized for her behavior at the rink. You smiled, hearing the sincerity in her voice alone was enough to forgive her. You spent the next half an hour trying to cheer her up by talking about anything that came to mind. You even began making her laugh towards the end.

“I really appreciate you, Y/N. This year has been…” She drew in a breath before continuing. “Rough, to say the least. You and Allison were the only good things that came out of it. Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Just for being you. Thank you,” She reached forward for a hug you gladly accepted. “But I’m really tired from the crying. I think I’m gonna call it a night.”

“Okay, drive safe. Call me if you need someone to talk to,” You smiled before getting out of the car. You looked at your phone to see if Stiles had texted.

7:32 PM Stiles: THIS JOURNAL IS SO HARD TO FIND FOR WHAT

7:40 PM Stiles: oh, hope she’s okay lol

7:43 PM Stiles: i’m like 90% sure it’s not in here but i’ll keep looking :/

You chuckled at his messages, looking at the building to see the principal’s office lit up. You walked towards the entrance, only the sound of your feet to keep you company. The path was darker than usual, it seemed like a few light posts had gone out recently. You felt a funny feeling arise in your chest before you noticed a second pair of footsteps behind you. They were much too heavy and calculated to belong to your boyfriend.

You turned around and held out a defensive hand, ready to use any type of magic to ward off the potential threat. You watched Isaac gasp and flinch.

“Jesus! Be careful with that thing!” He breathed. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

“That’s hard to believe,” You scoffed, refusing to put your hand down. You wanted to make your hand ooze with black smoke to intimidate him but knew you’d probably end up hurting him on accident. You hadn’t gotten around to training your powers so they were incredibly unpredictable. Seeing as he hadn’t tried anything, that option seemed a little premature. “What do you want?”

“I’d like for you to put your hand down,” He chuckled. You didn’t cave in. “Or not. That’s fine. Look, I just wanted to apologize for the other day.”

“I don’t need to hear your heartbeat to know that’s a hot load of shit, Lahey,” You rolled your eyes, putting your hand down cautiously.

“I’m not,” He began. “I really do feel bad-“

“Feel bad for trying to beat up my best friend or siding with the bad guy?”

“Uh, both?”

“I have somewhere to be,” You spoke with annoyance.

“I’m serious, you know,” He called as you turned around. “Just know my intentions are never to hurt you.. or your friends. I’m following my alpha’s lead but I draw the line with you.”

“Because of my blood?” You narrowed your eyes.

“Not exactly. Remember that night when I first turned and you did that thing with your eyes to stop me from killing Stiles?” He looked around, stepping closer as he lowered his voice. “I don’t know what type of witchy bullshit that was but I literally can’t bring myself to hurt you. And I’ve tried. But it’s like I get paralyzed. And I can’t get you out of my mind. I’m constantly thinking of you to the point that it has been getting in the way of my training. I think you made some sort of bond that night.”

“Did Derek tell you to say that?” You scoffed, making his face drop.

“What? No,” He was offended. “He’d probably kill me if he knew I was telling you this.”

“I don’t believe you,” You shrugged. He paused, narrowing his eyes with an amused smile plastered on his face.

“Your heart skipped a beat,” He leaned against the stairway’s railing.

“Look, I’m sure I left some sort of impression but a bond would require us both to feel that way. And I don’t. But even if I do believe you, what do you expect me to do about it?” You snapped. “Did my heart skip a beat that time?”

“You’re pretty when you’re mad.”

“Wanna see how pretty I look when I send you flying into the parking lot?” You smiled sarcastically, making him quickly glance at your hand to make sure you weren’t acting on your threat. You smirked, almost feeling guilty at how much satisfaction his fear gave you.

You felt the familiar sinking feeling in your stomach pull your gaze towards stands before a panicked roar on the field erupted. You felt a magnetic pull towards Scott.

“You better go check on him,” He looked over at the field. “That didn’t sound too good.”

You quickly jogged back around the stands and to the field only to be greeted by a crowd that was making its way towards a wounded player on the ground. You quickly ran around them and saw Scott sprawled out with his right heel practically touching his right elbow. You darted up next to him and Allison, sliding a bit on your knees as you beat the crowd to him.

“Oh my god, your leg!” Your heart clenched empathetically.

“Pull me up,” Scott breathed as the crowd began gathering round.

“But-“

“Y/N. Pull me up please!” He pleaded urgently. You extended your hand as he rose up from the ground before wrapping an arm around you for stability.

“Don’t move!” Coach ordered.

“Scott!” His mother called.

“It’s okay! It’s okay!” He chuckled. “I’m fine! I’m fine.”

“I could’ve sworn I literally hear bone breaking from where I sat,” Melissa breathed.

“Heard it? I felt it,” Coach added.

“Guys, seriously, I’m fine.”

“We should go,” Allison walked up to her grandfather.

“Hold on,” Gerard paused as the crowd dispersed. “I wanna ask him one more thing.”

You stuck around to hear Gerard invite you both to dinner, not taking any excuses as an answer. You were about to protest one last time before Scott agreed. You shot him a glare. “We’ll be there!”

“Ah! That’s what I like to hear!” The old man grinned, walking away as he called out again. “We’ll meet you there after the game.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” You hissed after he was gone, taking his hand off of your shoulder. “We?! We’ll be there? No. No, no, no. I’m not going with you!”

“Y/N, please? I-“

“No, Scott!” You shouted, earning a few glares from the players who walked back on the field. You rolled your eyes and guided Scott back toward the sideline as the game started up again. “I’m tired of playing along with this stupid fucking charade! You saw the way Stiles reacted last time! No way.”

“Just this once!” Scott begged. “I mean.. This will be the last time! I swear to God. I’ll tell Stiles about everything, okay? I’ll send him a text right now. He can’t get mad if this stupid fucking charade saves my life! Not to mention, there won’t be any hiding or lying! Please!”

“Scott,” You groaned.

“Please. Please. Ple-“

“OKAY FINE!” You exclaimed. “Oh my god. Are you twelve? You fucking owe me big time! Call him and explain right now. And if he’s not cool with it, you’re on your own, got it?”

“Okay! Okay! I will! Thank you!”

You smiled and flipped the bird before taking your seat next to Melissa once again. You both chatted as Scott grinned and shot you a thumbs up, running back into the last couple minutes of the game.

8:14 PM Stiles: i’m gonna kill him. those cold-blooded murder documentaries you watch will make a whole ass episode dedicated to me

8:15 PM Y/N: dedicated to us*

8:15 PM Stiles: THIS. this is why i love you

8:16 PM Stiles: btw can’t find the journal. i’m gonna try to look around the secretary’s office now. i’ll call if i need you

You smiled and turned off your phone to watch the rest of the game.

———

“Oh, good! You’re back. Dinner’s almost ready,” Mrs Argent called from the kitchen as the four of you wandered into her home.

“How was the game?”

“Why don’t you ask the star player?” Gerard smiled. The couple’s gazes shifted disapprovingly to your best friend.

“Hi,” He pursed his lips.

The dinner was eaten in awkward silence. Small chat was attempted by Gerard to no avail. You kept your eyes low, smiling from time to time as you looked around.

“Alright,” Gerard wiped his hands off with a baby blue napkin. “Why is everyone so quiet? Is it that uncomfortable that they dated?”

You almost choked on the green bean you swallowed at the way her parents looked at Scott.

“Did you ask them if they’d be uncomfortable?” Chris questioned.

“Okay, I know it’s been a few centuries since I was a teenager, but even back then, we dated and broke up all the time!” His father smiled.

“We’re fine. Besides, they’re dating now,” Allison smiled. “Right, Scott?”

It took every ounce of you to hold back an eye roll when you saw the look of utter admiration on Scott’s face when he responded; he couldn’t help but to look at Allison as if she’d hung the stars. “Yup.”

“You two are dating?” Mrs Argent questioned. You smiled and nodded. “You will never cease to amaze me with the women you manage to pull.”

“That’s exactly what my mom said too,” Scott chuckled, choosing to ignore the obvious insult.

“Oh, I see,” Gerald sighed. “Y/N’s the reason you broke up.”

“No!” You all tried to speak at the same time, pausing when you realized how quick the unanimous response was.

“No, uh..” Scott wiped his mouth before continuing. “Things just got.. complicated between me and Allison. We broke up way before we got together. I only caught feelings for Y/N when we were both nursing each other’s broken hearts from our previously failed relationships. Our families are really close so they always said it was only a matter of time.”

That was oddly convincing, you thought, impressed at the effortless fib.

“Plus, Allison broke up with me,” He finished. You choked down a laugh at the way Allison’s mouth dropped open.

“No offense, Scott,” Chris spoke up with a forced smile. “But I think maybe Allison felt the two of you were just growing apart.”

“As if the father’s opinion isn’t biased,” Gerard interjected. “How do you know they weren’t as passionate as Romeo and Juliet?”

Your lips parted at his rude comment. Even as his fake girlfriend, that fucking hurt! Why would he even say that in front of his (fake) girlfriend?

“Well, Romeo and Juliet commuted ritual suicide,” You deadpanned, earning a smile from Chris.

“Exactly. They could’ve used a little less passion,” He agreed.

“Can we please talk about something else?” Allison blushed.

“Brilliant idea,” Her mother muttered.

“Scott,” Chris instructed. “How about you help me grab dessert from the kitchen?”

You turned to him with wide eyes as he got up, knowing that couldn’t be good. The two walked out of the room and disappeared behind the door, leaving the four of you alone. You smiled up at Allison, desperately trying to change the mood. “So, uh, how’d you do on the Econ exam?”

“A, you?” She mirrored your expression.

“Same,” You giggled.

“Smart girl,” Gerard chuckled. “Victoria, did you know Y/N is well on her way to becoming the valedictorian in their grade?”

“No, I actually didn't,” She replied. “There’s a lot of new things I’m learning about her tonight.”

“She also knows French!”

“Oh?”

“Uh, yeah,” You laughed uncomfortably at the spotlight, not quite knowing how he knew that about you. “My dad taught it to me growing up. He worked internationally in France and Canada so I also picked it up when we traveled.“

“French!” Gerard grinned. “Our family comes from France!”

“Mine too,” You smiled and decided to compliment Mrs Argent on the meal. “Mes compliments au chef. C’est magnifique.”

“Merci beaucoup,” She thanked you with a smile as the men returned with the dessert. The table fell to silence once again.

“Do you mind if we’re excused?” Allison asked. “There’s actually some notes from English I need to go over with these two.”

“Mhm,” Gerard responded sweetly before the three of you got up and followed Allison up to her grandfather’s room. You all looked around quietly for the leather bound journal for a few seconds before Allison pulled back a jacked from a piece of furniture only to reveal a safe.

“There goes that plan,” She frowned.

“Wait..” You furrowed your brow. “Scott, people use stethoscopes to crack the code on those things all the time. What if you-“

“Already on it,” He grinned, he kneeled down beside the safe and pressed his ear up to it as he fumbled with the knob, opening it only seconds after.

“Do you wanna hit a few banks later?” Allison asked, making you all chuckle. Scott grabbed the leather journal, seeing only old recipes written on the pages. “Oh my god. It’s a cookbook.”

He placed it back in the safe before your phone buzzed. You grabbed it to see Stiles calling.

“Y/N, no,” Scott ordered. “Shut it off. We can’t-“

“Hey, I’m a little busy,” You answered regardless. “Can I-“

“Y/N!” His voice echoed as the sound of water splashing filled the background. “That lizard thing is here and I’m trapped with Derek at the school’s pool. I need your help! Bring Scott!” He said breathless and with urgency.

“Okay, okay, we’re on the way!” You looked at Scott before the phone call ended. “We need to go.”

“What? What about the book?” Allison asked with concern.

“We’ll figure it out later,” Scott kissed her. “Stiles needs our help.”

You all ran downstairs to bid her family a polite farewell before you hopped back in Scott’s mom’s car and took off. You arrived in a matter of minutes, running straight in.

“WAIT!” Scott ran up in front of you. “Stay behind me. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Okay. Go! Go!” You turned him by his shoulder before you both took off running again, whipping corners and descending from stair cases similarly to when Peter kept you all hostage in the school for a night. Scott burst through the doors to reveal two very tired men in the pool. You saw Stiles reach for the diving post in an effort to stop swimming before he and Derek sank into the water. Scott growled, shifting into his werewolf self, and pulled them out.

“Oh my god, are you alive?” You breathed out as you cupped his cheeks in your hands. He breathed heavily but nodded. “Derek, you alright?”

As you spoke you saw a figure on all four approach at an ungodly speed. You looked up in fear, holding your hands up and closing your eyes. You didn’t even think to use magic, but it seemed to come naturally when you were angry or afraid. It still controlled you. You felt the familiar black smoke surround your hands but were too afraid to open your eyes to reveal what you’d done.

“Oh my god,” Stiles muttered. “How the hell are you doing that?”

You finally opened your eyes to see the creature jump over a sort of translucent black mist surrounding the three of you, instead it went for Scott. You couldn’t tell if it was some sort of force field or if provided you al with invisibility. Maybe it was something else entirely. To be frank, you couldn’t care less. Because whatever you just did, it was working.

“I don’t know,” You shook your head, looking over in time to see Scott fly into a mirror. “But stay inside of it.”

“What do you mean? No, don’t go out there!” He shouted.

“I’m getting really tired of playing good girl and listening to everyone’s damn orders today,” You murmured as you stepped foot outside of the mist. “HEY!”

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?” Scott cried as the lizard looked over at you before approaching. You held out your hands, feeling them kick you back as you sent a force flying into the creature, sending it flying with bone shattering force to the opposite wall. It quickly got back to its feet and shot you a look of utter anger before charging once again.

You felt a bigger kickback when you sent another force out of your hands, sending it flying back for a second time. It landed with a thud, grunting a little before hesitantly getting back up.

It quickly snapped out of its fear. With a look of death, it ran at you with its full speed, almost not giving you enough time to prepare. Almost. You screamed, feeling the same black mist that surrounded Stiles and Derek begin to appear on your hands. This time it was darker than ever, hiding your hands completely in its smoke. You sent as much force into it as you could. It flew back and fell into the ground. Silence followed when the creature didn’t so much as twitch.

“What the fuck, Y/N!?” Scott shouted with anger from his wall. “We aren’t fucking killers. Why’d you do that?!”

“It’s not dead!” You argued.

“It looks pretty dead to me,” Stiles grumbled as the black mist around him dispersed.

“You need to get in control of your fucking powers. Don’t let them control you! You caved into your urge to kill tonight-“

“I don’t have an urge to kill!” You argued. “I’m not like you!”

“You’re right. Because I can actually control it,” He contended. Your lips parted in disbelief.

“Guys, maybe we should just-“ Stiles began.

“I recognized that look, Y/N. I was the same way!”

“I didn’t mean to fucking kill it, Scott!” You shouted. “I just wanted to stun it so we can get the fuck out of here. We’re wasting time! So let’s go!”

“There’s a teenager in there that you might’ve just murdered and you want to leave?!” He was persistent. He wanted to have one of your infamous arguments. At times, the two of you were capable of arguments that only siblings could bounce back from. Good thing you were bonded. “Own up to your actions!”

“I DIDN’T KILL IT!” You snapped. “Look, Scott! It’s breathing. And you should be thanking me because you didn’t exactly have that fight under control.”

“Guys?” Stiles’ spoke cautiously. “The monster-“

“Yes, I did!”

“No, you didn’t!” You spoke to him in a condescending tone. “I had it under control. And for that matter, I fucking saved you!”

“Hey! Hello?! Guys!” Your boyfriend raised his voice to no avail. “It’s g-“

“At what cost?!” Scott pointed over to where the monster laid, only to see it was gone. “Where’d it go?”

Your heart dropped at the sight. You walked back towards Scott out of habit as you both looked around. He picked up a shard of the broken mirror as a defense.

Suddenly, the monster jumped from high ground and appeared beside Scott, hissing before it walked at an eerily slow pace. Whatever it’s next move was, it was calculated. Scott held out the mirror and snarled.

The monster took a glance and tilted its head. It seemed to be entranced at the sight. You both furrowed your brows in confusion before it jumped on the wall beside you and climbed out of the room, breaking the glass ceiling on its way.

“Now who saved who?” He said smugly.

“Can we just drop it? It’s alive, alright? The argument is over,” Stiles sighed.

“The argument’s not about the fact it’s alive. It’s about how she almost killed an innocent person.”

“Innocent? Oh my god!” You scoffed. “I’m so tired of talking about this!”

“Then stop talking and listen!”

“All I’ve been doing is listening to you! The fake relationship, the dinner with the Argents- Scott, I basically obey your every command! Even when I know for a fact that you’re wrong!” You paused, seeing his face fall slightly. You breathed heavily from the force exerted, both from the yelling and the magic. “You know what? Never mind. I’m done with this conversation.”

You turned on your heels and marched out of the auditorium, making your way to his car. You barely held it together as you walked out of the building, feeling you vision blur as you looked at the empty parking lot. You wiped at the stray tears on your cheeks and tried to collect yourself before the whole group walked out.

You’d stuck through thick and thin with Scott. You defended him since you were children. You were his shoulder to cry on, his rock. You helped him master his new powers and never doubted his morals or his heart. Out of all people, you’d assumed that he would be the one to understand what it feels like to be controlled by supernatural abilities and the process of learning how to control them. He was doubting your morality simply because it didn’t align with his own. He was doubting you as a person, a friend, simply because you almost killed a beast that has claimed numerous victims and would continue to do so unless it was put down.

Yet, you didn’t know how to feel; betrayed because of his lack of confidence in you, or afraid. He was normally the last person to question your motives. Could he be right? Were your thoughts, your conscious, being corrupt by the black magic?

“Hey, you okay?” Stiles' voice interrupted your thoughts. You turned around, making his soft smile fade at the sight of your tears. “Oh, Y/N..”

He reached out for you, pulling you into an embrace. His hands gently rubbed your back as you heard your faint sniffles against the crook of his neck. “Sorry it took me so long to come out here. I had to yell at him for a couple of minutes for being such a dick to you.”

“Really?” You chuckled, making him smile.

“Yeah, my voice actually feels a little hoarse now,” He cleared his throat as you giggled and pulled away slightly to look him in the eye. “And I normally don’t really get involved in your arguments but that was so out of pocket.”

“Agreed,” You smiled as he wiped the last of your tears. “Thanks for always standing up for me.”

“Of course,” He let out a breathy chuckle. “We’re in this together now, right?”

“Yeah, but you’ve done that ever since we were kids.”

“It’s because I've liked you ever since we were kids,” He admitted. “Scott never stood a chance when it came to whose side I’d pick in an argument. Especially after that one time he threw away that flash drive that had our fifth grade field trip pictures on it just because his hair looked weird. You were so-”

“Flash drive..” You repeated quietly.

“Yeah, remember? You took pictures of us at Disneyland-“

“Oh my god. Stiles,” Your eyes lit up as you looked back at the school. “Gerard’s keys had a flash drive! Do you think the bestiary was on it?”

“God, you’re so fucking hot when you do that,” He grinned before you both took off into the school. You quickly grabbed the keys from the principal’s office, ran past Stiles’ locker to grab his laptop, and darted back to Scott’s car to look at the contents.

Within a matter of a couple minutes, the two of you set up a makeshift desk on the hood of his car and scrolled through the documents on the flash drive. Scott made his way back over to the two of you.

“Is this the bestiary?” He spoke up hesitantly.

“If you can call it that. Is this even a language?” Stiles huffed.

“It’s Latin,” You recognized some of the words from the Romance languages you spoke.

“How long would it take you to learn Latin?” Stiles asked you.

“Using magic? I could probably learn it in a matter of a week and translate it.”

“A week?!” Scott asked. “I don’t know if we have that long. We need to figure out what this thing is now.”

“It’s called the Kamina,” Derek approached with his pets alongside him.

“You knew the whole time?” Stiles’ tone was nothing shy of annoyed.

“No. Only when it was confused by its own reflection.”

“It doesn’t know what it is,” Scott said.

“Or who,” Derek affirmed.

“What else do you know?” Stiles questioned. You slipped your hand in his for emotional support, receiving a squeeze.

“Just stories. Rumors.”

“But it’s like us?” Scott asked.

“It’s a shape-shifter, yes. But it’s not right. It’s like a..” Derek paused to think about how to phrase his next sentence.

“An abomination,” You finished, earning all eyes on you before Derek frowned and nodded. He turned to leave before Scott called his name.

“Derek! We need to work together on this. Maybe even tell the Argents-“

“You trust them?” He hissed.

“Nobody trusts anyone. That’s the problem!” Scott snapped. That’s rich coming from you, you thought. “While we’re here arguing about who’s on what side, there’s something scarier, stronger, and faster than any of us, and it’s killing people! And we still don’t even know anything about it!”

“I know one thing,” Derek lowered his voice. “When I find it, I’m gonna kill it.”

Your eyes widened, knowing it was a promise and not a threat. You looked over at Stiles who wore a similar expression.

“We have to save that kid,” Scott turned with a huff. “We can’t let him get away with murdering it.”

You stayed quiet. To be completely truthful, you disagreed. You thought it was morally wrong to keep it alive. It not only risked the lives of countless people, but you had a feeling there was no negotiation that could be done to lure it back to normal. It was unethical to keep it alive. The last thing you wanted to see was the people in this town, the people you loved and grew up with, torn to shreds one by one.

“You don’t agree?” Scott asked you. He scoffed. “When did you become so heartless?”

“Hey, back off, man,” Stiles stepped in as your eyes darkened with anger. “We can settle this when the topic isn’t so fresh. Let’s regroup tomorrow, alright? We don’t wanna speak out of anger.”

The ride was filled with tense silence. Scott dropped you both back off at Stiles’ house before leaving to pick Melissa up from her late shift.

———

“You okay?” Stiles asked, kneeling down in front of you. “You wanna talk about it?”

You shook your head.

“Wanna take a shower?” He followed up. You nodded and he grabbed a few of his old garments before you made your way to his bathroom.

The scalding hot water seemed to be the only thing that had relaxed your tense muscles. The anger slowly washed off with the grime from the day. You got to thinking about the night’s events.

When you got angry, it was hard to distinguish which thoughts were truly yours and which ones came from the magic’s toxicity. Every part of you screamed at you, telling you were right. That thing did deserve to be put down. And you would’ve done it yourself if it meant saving those you loved. You didn’t feel as if you were talking with your emotions or with a black-misted mind. It seemed rational. But if you couldn’t tell last time, what was the difference now?

You allowed these thoughts consume you as you mindlessly washed your body before turning off the water and drying off. You tossed on your boyfriend’s clean clothes and made your way back to his room to see him on his computer.

“All yours,” You mumbled, still deep in thought as your dried your hair.

“Okay,” He nodded, looking over at you. He noticed your shoulders and overall stance ease with the shower. “I’ll be quick.”

And he was. It was only a few minutes before he wandered back in, rubbing the towel fiercely against his hair and discarding it in the corner of his room. You laid on his bed, stomach down with your head resting on your hand. You were so zoned out that you didn’t even notice him enter.

“What’s on your mind, baby?” He sat down beside you and rubbed your back. “You’re worrying me.”

“Was I wrong?” You flipped on your side to look at him. “I feel like I can’t tell if I speak and act with my mind or my magic-intoxicated subconscious anymore.”

“Honestly? I have no clue who’s right or wrong. I don’t think it’s a question of if the magic is fucking with your mind, it’s more about the morality behind the situation. I mean, personally, my morals lie with the best interest of those I love, but I don’t necessarily know if that’s a good or bad thing. I guess you’re both right in a sense,” He shrugged, placing his hand on the soft curve of your neck. “It wasn’t an uncalled-for discussion. But the way Scott went about it was all wrong.”

“That was such a pageant girl answer,” You huffed, making him chuckle.

“You’re right. What I meant to say is you’re so right! Fuck Scott. You know what? Fuck morality and ethics for that matter! Let’s just run away and never come back!” He said, making you giggle. “What do you think? Scotland? New York City? Ooh, what about Mexico?”

“I hear Mexico is pretty this time of year,” You smiled.

“México it is!” He cheered before you both burst into a fit of laughter. You sat up, wanting to shift the conversation to a more serious topic.

“So what about you? How are you doing after tonight?” You asked.

“Exhausted. Sore. Traumatized,” Stiles admitted. “I don’t think I’ve exerted that much energy since like elementary school when we played that two week long round of tag.”

“That bad?!” You laughed, recalling the sweet childhood memory.

One summer, you all decided to play a ‘never-ending game of tag’. When you weren’t it, you’d avoid the boys like the plague. When you were tagged, be it from one of them hid in your closet or invaded your soccer practice to tag you, you’d sneak into their own houses, t-ball games, or ask their parents for a ride somewhere to try to tag them. You all barely slept towards the end in fear of one of your friends tagging you in your sleep.

At one point, you and Scott decided to chase Stiles around Beacon Hills for hours, not telling him who was it. You didn’t stop until he fell and sprained his ankle. It was only one of the various injuries you’d all acquired in the midst of the two week long chaos. All of your parents scolded you and forbid you from ever playing tag for longer than a few hours a week.

“Almost. I’d argue that last day of tag was still, to date, the most exhausting experience of my life,” He spoke as he got under the blankets, patting the spot next to him so you’d join. You gladly abided, taking your usual position; your leg lazily tossed on top of his own while you rested your head on his chest.

“I’m so sorry,” You sighed. “I can’t even imagine. I wish I would’ve checked on you earlier.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” He yawned and kissed your forehead. “Don’t feel bad. It led to us figuring out what the hell that thing was. I will, however, need two to four business days to recover before we even think about having sex though.”

“Damn it. I was hoping we’d do it tonight.”

“Really?! Because I was totally kidding! I’m fine. I’m not even sore!” He sat up quickly, making you laugh. “You were kidding weren’t you? That was a mean joke. Don’t ever do that again.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry!” You giggled, looking up at him. “I’m actually really drained from today anyway. Let’s just sleep tonight and maybe reconsider in two to four business days?”

“Okay, as long as you aren’t holding out for me. Because I could totally perform FYI,” He yawned, making it very evident that he could not. “I was just warming up in the pool earlier.”

“Oh? So you and Derek were-“

“I knew your dirty mind would say something as soon as the words left my mouth,” Stiles interrupted. “Goodnight, asshole.”

“I love youuu,” You smiled up at him. He failed at holding back one of his own.

“I love you too,” He grumbled dramatically before reaching over to turn off the lamp on his nightstand.

———

As always, please let me know if you’d like to be added to the tag list! I love to hear your feedback so please feel welcome to leave a comment below. Don’t forget to like and reblog, it really helps me out!

oh, those loving “sibling” arguments, gotta love ‘em. i hope you liked this chapter!! AND IM STILL COCKBLOCKING THESE POOR BBS?! HOW CRUEL OF ME?! mwahaha

besties, i had the best week of my life!! i spend all of spring break in NYC with both old and new friends. i’ve never felt so refreshed after a trip. i was hoping to see dylan there but that mf has covid 🙄🤚🏽 THE AUDACITY

@okay-j-hannah @mitchloveswriting @itscheybaby @cevans-winchester @moon-child @rrrogertaylor @janalustare @loveangelic69 @angelxfics @blueberry-birdie @rebelbagel @fandoms-fandoms-everywhere99 @ifilwtmfc @dianewowslt @crockercorpbakers @taysirene @take-me-to-ny @captainfrisbee @darkenwolfie @stilesbxtch @raynelbabe @michellebarista @chervbs @littleboysmile @mushroomroyal @naynay2319 @xannaelizx @igotmajordaddyissues @stephhevring @andrew-garfield-is-my-mj @biqueenxo @reallysparklychaos @izzymultifan @aloha-lu @youaintabadbitchyoujustabitch @lovingchildperson @luvforstiles @itsyaboiskinnypein @didanrxbma @honeybunimdun

@aristrocrat my love 💘👑

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