Title: The Dangerous Ones
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Category: Slow-Burn Romance, Road Trip, Canon-Divergent
Ratings: PG-13
Pairings: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Characters: Derek Hale, Stiles Stilinski, Noah Stilinski, Lydia Martin
Spoilers: Up through Season 4
Summary: After the events of Stiles possession he is having trouble just getting through his day-to-day. Derek makes a bold proposition and Stiles knows it might be the best thing for him.
Words: 5749
Warnings: Mentions of PTSD, Anxiety Attacks, Nightmares
Tags: Post Possession, slow burn, caring Derek
Beta: None. No non-consensual Beta
Notes
_____
“Dinner’s ready,” Stiles calls out as he sets the plates down on the table and waits for his Dad to come downstairs. Noah sits down and just stares at what Stiles has laid out on the table.
“Son, what the hell is this?” Noah lifted a brow and continued to stare at the food like it was going to jump up and bite his face off.
“Sushi. We are trying something new.” Stiles grins as he picks up one of the pieces of tuna on rice with some chopsticks and takes a bite. His eyes widen and he lets out a little noise of pleasure. “Dad, just try it. It’s good.”
“It’s raw fish.”
“Fish is good for your cholesterol”
“And pray tell where did you go to get fish this fresh?”
Stiles shrugged his shoulder and took the other half of the sushi he had already bitten into and ate it with gusto.
“Kira and I went to this Japanese market just outside San Francisco. Don’t worry, it’s all sustainable and low in mercury. It’s also good for you, so eat.”
“Kid, I want curly fries.”
Stiles set his chopsticks down on his plate and leaned forward.
“I know you want curly fries. You always want curly fries. I cannot deny the allure of the curly fries. But, your last tests at the doctors had your cholesterol moderately high. I’m trying to keep you around!” Stiles knew he was being a bit irrational, but the events of the prior months had him even more high strung than he normally was. That didn’t include the depression, anxiety, PTSD, and nightmares that fuelled all of the other issues he was having. He was unconsciously opening and closing his hand that was resting on the table as his anxiety rose.
Noah looked like he was going to say something more, but instead laid his hand over his sons and pressed his lips together a moment.
“All right, kid. I’ll try it.”
The relief coming from Stiles was almost like another thing in the room as he waited with bated breath as Noah took a piece of the sushi and took a big bite. First there was confusion, then an audible, ‘huh’, then a nodding of his head.
“Not bad, kiddo. Not bad.”
Stiles let out the breath he was holding and the two of them devoured the food. Noah even ate all of the salad and vegetable sides Stiles had made to compliment the sushi.
“You and Kira have been spending some time together.”
Stiles leaned back in his chair and laid his hands over his stomach after he checked his phone for messages. There was one from Lydia that she was coming over with some more books in Japanese, they both had learned some of the basics and were slowly going through other accounts of Nogitsune activity.
“Just a few days. She’s pretty awesome and her parents have this whole library of books on Kitsune and other Japanese spirits. She’s letting me read as much as I want.”
Noah leaned back, he had not changed out of his uniform as of yet. He played with his tie a moment and Stiles knew he was trying to put his thoughts in order.
“Stiles…”
“Dad, don’t. I need answers. Or at least I need to know what the fuck happened to me. Okay? Just…just let me do this.”
Noah nodded and didn’t say anything else, which Stiles was grateful for.
“And, for being a good Dad and eating all this healthy food, I just may have a surprise.” Stiles stood and went to the kitchen and brought out dessert.
“Green tea ice cream with strawberries.”
Stiles set a dish in front of his Dad.
“Kid, you’re killin’ me here.”
“Not everything can be chocolate.” Stiles smiled as he took an enthusiastic bite, his father followed suit a moment later and made another surprised face.
“Well, it may not be chocolate, but I’ll concede it might be tasty.”
Stiles laughed a genuine laugh and the two finished up in the comfortable silence that the two of them were used to.
An hour later Stiles was at his computer doing his typical off topic research and writing yet another random paper when Lydia came in and plopped down on his bed.
“Got some books. You take these and I’ll go through these.”
Stiles pushed away from his computer and sprawled out on his bed trying not to think about the fact that Lydia was sitting next to him wearing the shortest skirt he had ever seen her in. It did not help his attraction to her in the least. But, in the last few months they had become friends and he didn’t want to damage that. Stiles appreciated the friends he had made in the weeks up to an including his possession. He wasn’t going to ruin it by holding onto a school boy crush.
“Growing up sucks.” Stiles mumbled under his breath as he frowned at the titles of the books Lydia had brought.
“I think you’ll survive.” Lydia opened one of the books on her side of the bed and pursed her lips in an almost smile.
“At this rate it’s debatable. I’ll settle for just getting through the summer.” Stiles thumbed through the book that was in Japanese. He was getting better at recognizing the kanji, but he wasn’t as good as Lydia. It had helped when he did a random research paper on the beginnings of Kanji and the art of Japanese writing. It helped to immerse him in the language as well as the Rosetta Stone program that Lydia just happened to have.
“Just read your book and try to concentrate on it.”
“Hey, I didn’t take any adderall today. Maybe that’s why I’m jittery.”
“Stiles, you’re always jittery.”
He was about to protest, but Stiles saw no lie in her statement. Even though he was more subdued lately didn’t mean that his particular tics had gone away. He was just getting better at hiding it than he used to.
Stiles quietly laughed at Lydia’s statement, then went back to working on reading all about a Japanese mystic and healer who had battled a Nogitsune and won. He was also, coincidentally called a Spark. That information peeked Stiles interest.
The two friends read quietly together for a little while, one or the other would make a statement, or a joke depending on what they were reading, then continue.
“You two should get to sleep.”
Stiles had not even heard Derek come in through his window.
“Dude, we have a front door.”
“This is more fun.” Derek gave Stiles a wolfie grin as he walked to the chair in the corner and plopped down. He pulled out a sketchbook and started to work on something while Stiles and Lydia came to stopping points in their reading.
“I do actually have to get home. Make sure he sleeps tonight, Derek.”
Lydia actually sounded concerned which made Stiles swallow back the retort he had on the tip of his tongue. He watched Lydia leave, but silently thanked her for being there, for letting Stiles not talk about the things he should actually talk about. He wasn’t quite ready.
“Lydia is right. You,” Derek stood and took the book from Stiles after he grabbed the bottle of ambien that Stiles had been prescribed. “Need to sleep. And you should take your pill.”
“Gee, Derek. I have the impression that you actually might care.”
“Don’t get your hopes up.”
The tiny smile on Derek’s face belied his words. Stiles had no idea what was going on between the two of them. Stiles had no idea what was going on with himself. He could admit that there were times he had found certain guys attractive, but that had never meant he wanted to date them. But with Derek, there was just something there.
Derek got him and didn’t push him when he didn’t want to talk. He also had ways to divert Stiles when he was in a particularly bad ADHD episode. Scott was the only other person that had understood Stiles lack of self control was not something he particularly relished in. He wasn’t odd on purpose, but he wasn’t as self conscious of it as he had been as a kid. Stiles had learned to cope with the fact that everyone around him, except his Dad and Scott, found him weird. Hell there were days that he found himself weird. Being trapped by your own mind and your own impulses was never fun.
“Hey, take this, or I’m going to make you.” Derek thrust the sleeping pill at Stiles who just shook his head and took it without any protest. He did need to sleep, but the pills didn’t always work, especially during the really bad nightmares.
“I’m gonna go shower. Just sit there and glower.” Stiles pointed to the chair before walking out of the room.
“Asshole,” Derek yelled after him and Stiles smiled to himself. They were pretending once more that the something between them didn’t exist. An hour later, Stiles crawled into bed, the medicine began to pull him under. He also ignored it when Derek slipped into bed with him and slung an arm around his waist.
Some might think it strange that a 23 year old man was sleeping in the same bed as a 17 year old boy, but after everything that happened in the months prior, from the Alpha pack to Stiles possession, the two had found an unspoken comfort in each other.
______________
The nightmare wasn’t all that surprising considering Stiles had not talked much about what he had gone through. The sleeping pills didn’t always keep him asleep. Waking up from another sweat soaked nightmare with strong arms around him holding him through it was no longer that unusual, nor was the fact that his father didn’t mind another person in Stiles room.
The mental and emotional healing was taking a lot longer than Stiles anticipated. There were days he felt like he was never going to feel normal again. Even though he had been possessed, Stiles still had all of the memories associated with said possession. He knew everything he had done, all the deaths that happened, and the guilt was eating him up.
“Hey, it’s okay Stiles. It’s okay. I’m here. I’m never letting go, okay?”
The hand in his hair gripping firmly, but reassuringly helped him to pull out of the dream every single time. Turning around in those arms and burying his head against the strong chest Stiles silently let go. His body shook, the tears fell, but those arms never left him. Just like every other night during the long horrible months since the destruction of the Nogitsune. Gentle words, ones Stiles never thought Derek would be capable of, or would be admitted to, were whispered in his ear and eventually Stiles fell back to sleep knowing someone was there for him. Whether he believed he deserved it or not was the more difficult question to answer.
Another long night passed and Stiles felt just as tired and worn out as he had every other night for far longer than he wanted to admit to. He contemplated taking some adderall just to help wake him up more and to get through the day.
Mornings, neither he nor Derek made a big deal out of what happened the night before. Stiles got up, took a hot shower, walked down to get breakfast made for the three of them and they all had a meal together. There was little talking, usually surface conversation but nothing deep or profound. After breakfast, the Sheriff left and went about trying to keep order in a town that was constantly pushing against that order. Derek went about whatever it was he did all day, which Stiles never asked about. He thought he should, but that would, to his mind, complicate whatever it was they were doing, and Stiles didn’t want to complicate anything in his life at the moment. He just wanted to get through each day and hopefully the next day would be better than the one before.
Part of each day Stiles spent time reading everything that Dr. Deaton lent him. He wanted to understand what happened to him and how he could protect himself from anything like that ever happening again. The veiled comments about a spark had Stiles questioning the Doctor one day when Scott wasn’t around. Even though Deaton was mysterious at best and evasive at worst, he gave Stiles books from his own library to read. It helped some. The research he did online helped even more. Stiles had taken to writing papers on the obscure esoterica he found and wasn’t surprised when some were interested in buying said papers. His little side business was busier than ever and it kept his mind off of the bad things for short amounts of time each day.
Then, there was Lydia. How she had quickly become a good friend Stiles didn’t look too hard into that, he was just grateful when she started to show up in the afternoons to just sit with him as they studied, or researched all of the crap they had gone through to hopefully find some kind of answers. It helped even if just a little bit. Every little thing helped.
That was Stiles summer. He wasn’t ready to go back to school. He wasn’t ready to face the other students there. He wasn’t ready for Coach, or any of his teachers, and he certainly wasn’t ready for what it meant to be a senior.
“I have a crazy idea,” Derek’s voice was low as he slowly rubbed a hand up and down Stiles back after another nightmare filled night.
“When have your ideas ever not been crazy.”
Derek actually laughed at that and it made Stiles shut his eyes to not think about how good that laugh sounded and how much he missed his own.
“We get out of Beacon Hills. You and I, we just leave. We find somewhere to start over where all of this crap won’t touch us again.”
“I can’t just leave, Derek. What about school? My friends? My Dad?”
Stiles leaned up and looked down at the older man that had become so important to him over the last months and frowned.
“I can’t just abandon everyone, and I have responsibilities, I have people who depend on me.” Stiles was going to say more but the patient look on Derek’s face had him pausing. Derek never looked patient. Ever.
“I know you could test out of High School, Stiles.You could probably have done it your Freshman year. You’re smarter than most everyone there. Except maybe Lydia. I think the only reason you didn’t was because of Scott.”
That made Stiles actually smile and the fingers that gently touched the side of his mouth, he most assuredly did not want to think about, even though it felt better than amazing. Derek continued, breaking the moment which Stiles was silently grateful for.
“Your friends have been absent. Scott has barely been around, and I know part of it is his grief over Allison, and spending time with Kira. As far as your Dad… I think he’s going to say it’s a good idea.”
Stiles narrowed his eyes at the Werewolf, then shoved to a sitting position.
“You asked him already, didn’t you?”
Derek pressed his lips together and looked like he wasn’t going to say anything, but then thought better of it.
“Yes. I did. I’m worried for you Stiles. I don’t think staying here, around all of the reminders of what happened to you, is a good thing.”
Stiles laid back down on his side, but faced away from Derek. He needed a moment to think about Derek’s proposal. It wasn’t like he hadn’t thought about leaving, but he knew he couldn’t do it on his own, not with how he was still having trouble just dealing with the day to day stuff. The bigger stuff was almost impossible. Stiles felt at a standstill, he wasn’t moving backwards, which was a good thing, but he wasn’t moving forwards either.
“I can’t just up and leave. I need to do some stuff and I need you to trust me to do them, okay?”
Stiles felt Derek moving on the bed and an arm came around his waist, pulling him close.
“You do what you need to do. Does that mean a yes?”
Stiles took a few moments to think. He looked around the room and knew it had become a safety net for him. He needed change and maybe leaving was the only thing he could do to force that change.
“I think you’re right. I can’t move forward and I feel like I’m stuck in some kind of quicksand that keeps sucking me down, and you, my Dad, Lydia, you’re all pulling me up trying to keep me from falling in further and it’s like my body won’t cooperate. I know it’s all in my head, but it’s just…” Stiles took a deep breath, not knowing what else to say.
“I felt like that after the fire. I thought I lost everyone and everything. I couldn’t move forward and the only thing that helped besides the pain and anger was getting someplace I felt safe. I know you don’t feel safe, Stiles.”
Stiles was quiet as he snuggled back against Derek. Closing his eyes he planned out the next few days, the first being going to school and talking with the counselor and seeing about testing out. He knew he had more than enough credits and classes, he hoped he wasn’t going to run into any issues. School wasn’t starting for another week, but they often had the offices open for students to be able to talk with their counselors if there were any issues that needed to be worked out. As his eyes closed once again, Stiles felt Derek’s hand spread out on his chest just under his heart. He laid his own hand on top and let out the breath he had been holding in and was able to finally fall asleep once more.
______________
“How are you, Stiles?”
“How good do you think I am?” Stiles looked Ms. Morell in the face and tapped down on the anger and frustration that sat inside of him.
“I think what you went through was traumatic. You haven’t reached out to me like you used to when you were having issues.”
“Maybe I don’t want to sit here and talk about all of that over and over again. In fact, that’s why I’m here. Since I’m almost eighteen, and my Dad signed this permission slip, I want to test out. I’m…I’m leaving Beacon Hills.”
“Are you sure that is really what you want to do?”
“Look, you and Deaton can play all your little word games and never actually tell me anything all you want. But, what I’m telling you is that yes, yes this is what I want. What I need. And, yeah I know all about being a Spark and the magic inside of me that I’ve been practicing with. I know how to be responsible, and I’ve built my shields.
“I’m not, however, going to be Scott’s emissary. Yeah, I know all about that too. Derek told me that was who Deaton was for the Hales, and well whatever you were doing with Deucalion. You know, part of me shouldn’t trust you after what happened there, but, you helped me at Eichen House, so yeah, there’s that.”
“Good to see you have your words back.” Ms Morell smiled.
“Some days are better than others.”
Ms. Morell leaned on her desk and looked Stiles in the eye. Their gazes were locked for what felt like several minutes, but in reality was less than thirty seconds.
“I see. All right, come back tomorrow morning at eight and be prepared. The test is not exactly easy.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be here.”
Stiles gathered the gym bag he had with him. Coach had called over the summer and told him there were still some things of his left over from the year. Stiles had not wanted to come near the school, but since this was the day he chose to come in, he was going to get his stuff.
The next stop he was going to make was to Dr Deaton’s. Stiles chose that day because it was Scott’s day off. He didn’t want to do what he needed to do with his friend around. Stiles parked outside of the clinic and didn’t see any cars around, which was unusual. Late summer was usually a busy time for the Vet. Stiles sat in his jeep and looked at the stacks of books that Deaton had lent him over the course of the summer and knew what it was the man was trying to say without actually saying anything.
“You know you can actually come inside.”
Stiles jumped at the voice that seemed to come out of nowhere, but was actually Deaton standing next to his car.
“Jesus Christ, man. Don’t do that to someone. That is not nice to scare people.”
“I’m sorry, Stiles. I did not mean to scare you. You have something on your mind.”
Stiled looked up at the outside of the clinic, then turned and looked at the man standing on the other side of his car door.
“I do. And I brought back the small library you lent me.”
Deaton actually smiled and Stiles just shook his head. He got out of the car and moved around to the other side where he could open his door and pull out the stacks of books. Deaton followed and Stiles piled some of the books onto the Druid’s outstretched arms.
“Come on, I’ll make you some tea and we can talk.”
“Where is everyone? Usually this is one of your busiest weeks.”
“Sometimes things work out just the way you need them to.”
Stiles opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it until he was inside the clinic. Once he cleared the door with his own pile of books he felt almost like he could breathe deeply once again.
“Follow me. I’ll show you where you can put those.”
Stiles followed Deaton back through the clinic to an area that looked like it was where Deaton lived. There were plants all around, a couple of cats lounging on a comfortable looking couch, and a closet that looked more than a closet.
“You can put them in here. Don’t worry, I’ll put them up proper when I get the chance.” Stiles set the books down on a small table in the little room, then stepped back out to follow the Druid once more. “Tell me, Stiles, are you going to tell Scott that you’re leaving?”
“I probably shouldn’t be surprised that you somehow know that. And, yes I’m going to tell Scott I’m leaving. But, you do know what’s going to happen.”
“I have a fairly good idea. I would say that it is one reason you should stay, but I can see in your very aura that you’ve firmly made up your mind.”
“I have.”
“I think it’s the right thing to do.”
“I’m surprised to hear you say that.”
“The Nogitsune took your balance away, Stiles. That isn’t something that is fixed by hot cocoa with marshmallows and pillow fights.”
“Oh come on that was one time,” Stiles looked at Deaton’s face and started to laugh.
“There, how did that feel?”
“That felt good, but one good laugh doesn’t fix everything.”
“No. It doesn’t. That is why I think it would be good for you to get some distance.”
Stiles followed Deaton further back to the kitchen where two cups were already set out and a kettle of water was already boiling away. Stiles sat on a stool while Deaton picked up the kettle and poured the water into the cups that already had tea bags in them.
“Tell me, Stiles, did the books help you figure some things out?”
Stiles wondered sometimes if Deaton was cryptic on purpose, or if it was a Druid thing that he couldn’t come right out and be obvious.
“You mean like having a Spark and what it means? Yeah, I uh I figured out quite a bit. But, I have a feeling you’ve always known what I was and what I could potentially be capable of.”
“I admit to knowing of your potential, but I couldn’t predict what that potential was going to be.”
“I learned to build shields in my mind. Lydia helped with that. She was able to test them and for now at least, they seem to be holding. And let me tell you, she did her damndest to try to get inside my head, but nope, it was a big fat no go.”
Deaton pushed the cup of tea closer to Stiles, who without even thinking about it, wrapped his hands around the cup.
“That’s good. I think you need to find a trainer. Someone who can help you understand what you are. My talents are all about keeping the balance.”
“What’s going to happen to Beacon Hills once Derek and I leave and Scott…. You know…”
“Is no longer an Alpha?”
“Yeah.”
“I honestly don’t know. But, don’t worry that things won’t work out. With Marin and myself, along with Scott, Kira and the others, we’ve got this covered.”
“You’ll tell him, though, like we talked about? None of this cryptic shit, right?”
“I gave you my word, Stiles. I will tell Scott that it was his connection to the Nemeton that gave him True Alpha powers, and that True Alpha’s are temporary. I think this time he might actually listen to me.”
“I’m going to talk to Mrs. Yukimura. I know what to do for her.”
Deaton leaned forward and sipped his tea while appraising Stiles.
“Are you doing it for her? Or for yourself?”
“What if I said it was for me, but also about that balance you keep talking about. Kira is still young and she needs her mother. She needs her Mother as she is supposed to be and after reading about the Japanese farmer who was a Spark, I think I know what to do.”
“I believe in you, Stiles. I believe you can do whatever it is you put your mind to.”
Stiles knew he wasn’t going to get much else from Deaton. The two finished their tea in silence, but it was a good silence, not one filled with guilt and pain. There was a calm quiet that felt amazing to Stiles. When he finished his tea he stood up and thanked Deaton, then left the clinic to go pick up lunch for him and his Dad. They were going to eat together at the station, almost like old times before everything got so out of control.
After lunch, Lydia came by and Stiles told her of the plans he and Derek were making. Stiles was surprised when she gave her blessing, but also got him to promise that he would keep in touch, no matter what happened or where they ended up.
Evening came, Derek showed up, Stiles popped some popcorn, grabbed sodas from the fridge and the two of them watched movies until the Sheriff got home. When it got late, and it was time for bed once more, Derek stayed to watch over him and help calm the inevitable nightmares.
__________________
“You don’t have to do this alone, you know.”
“Yes, I do. Thank you, Derek, but I need to go in there alone.”
“I’m going to be here, if you need anything.”
Stiles didn’t make any smart comments, he just gave Derek a small smile and nodded his head before stepping out of the car and walking up to the house.
Stiles took a deep breath before knocking on the door. When the door opened Stiles’ breath caught in his throat. He had stayed away from the Yukimura house since he had made the doppelganger that went on a killing spree.
“Stiles, come on in.” Mrs. Yukimura smiled, but Stiles didn’t return it, he did, however, follow the older woman into her house. The box he was carrying he set down once they settled in the living room. “Would you like some tea?”
Stiles almost laughed at that. Everyone seemed to want to serve him tea.
“How are you?” Mrs Yukimura asked as she sat across from him.
Stiles pushed the box towards the middle of the table and took a few deep breaths.
“I could lie and say that I’m fine, but I’m not. I am so far from fine that I don’t know how to be me anymore.” Stiles leg was bouncing as his anxiety rose, and his hands twitched in his lap. “I want to be okay, I really do, but seriously I don’t think I’ve been truly okay since Scott got turned into a Werewolf. But, that was just, you know, one more weirdness in a life of weird, dull Stiles.”
Stiles looked up at the woman and sighed.
“But, ever since the Nemeton and all of that I have not been okay.” Stiles drummed his fingers on the table, he had not taken any adderall in a while, but the anxiety was mimicking the effects that taking too much adderall had on him.
“Why don’t I go get that tea. I’ll be right back.”
“Not going anywhere.” Stiles lips turned up in a smile that wasn’t exactly happy. His mind was spinning as he sat there waiting. He still had more to say, and he hoped he was able to do what he came to do, the guilt that lived inside of him wouldn’t let it go and he had to try.
It wasn’t long before Mrs. Yukimura came back with a tea tray. She poured them each a cup and handed Stiles his. He was grateful for the warmth. Even through the summer it had been difficult to stay warm for him. He knew it was a side effect of the depression and anxiety he had been living with.
“Scott had come by a few days after-” Stiles waved a hand in the air to indicate the events without actually verbalizing them. “He told me your story, well everything you told him. And there is a part of me that feels compassion for what you went through and can, on one level understand.
“That doesn’t mean I forgive you for the Nogitsune. I want to. I do and it may sound horrible of me, but the hard truth is you let this thing into my world. I’m guilty of not closing that door between life and death where the Nogitsune was able to take advantage.
“I am supposed to not remember, but I do. I see every single one of the faces of the people that died because of me. I see the faces of the people the died because of my doppelganger that I created. I did that, and it-” Stiles had not realised that tears fell as he took a moment to wipe his face before sipping at the hot tea.
“Stiles, you don’t have to forgive me. I sometimes have a hard time forgiving myself. I let something loose born of my own anger, and the ultimate price was never worth it. You do not ever have to feel like you should forgive what I began. You and your friends stopped it when I couldn’t, but you all paid a price for it. One that was too high.”
“Deaton has a theory that the reason the Nogitsune was so strong in using me is because I have what he calls a Spark. Essentially magic. Powerful magic. I’ve been reading everything he’s given me on it and…there were some scrolls. They were in Japanese, and it took me a while to learn enough to read them…
“Wait, you learned Japanese over the summer?”
“Lydia helped.”
Stiles smiled a genuine smile and despite the heavy subject, the two of them laughed about it.
“You are a remarkable young man. I’m not sure you’re as appreciated as you should be. It makes my shame just a little worse.”
Stiles picked up the box once more and held it.
“Don’t. This has to stop. We each have to learn to forgive ourselves for these events. I know, harder said and all that crap.
“Anyway, what I learned is that a Spark, if they work hard enough at it can, in rare instances, heal magical damage. I’ve been practicing with Lyds. She’s actually pretty great as a friend. I don’t think I would have gotten through the last few months without her.”
Mrs. Yukimura leaned forward and tilted her head just a bit and Stiles could see, just for a second, the fox inside of her, wounded and hurt, but there was still a spark of it there.
“What are you saying, Stiles?”
“I don’t know if I can do it, and you can say no, but I want to try to heal you. I don’t think I can heal all nine of your tails, but I think I can heal enough for you to be what you need to be for Kira.”
Mrs. Yukimura sat back and took a deep breath. Stiles knew this was a big decision and the two of them would be connected on another level, but he knew to help ease his own conscious he was going to have to try. They both drank their tea, Mrs. Yukimura poured out another cup for each and the quiet stretched on.
“What, what do you need?”
“I need the other ones of these.”
Stiles pushed the box further towards the woman and kept his gaze down at the floor. The sharp intake of breath Stiles knew she had opened it and looked inside.
“Stiles….”
“Please don’t say no.” Looking up at the older woman, Stiles tried to keep calm. “I also need Kira.”
“Okay. She is hanging out on the stairs at the moment. Scott had to work so she decided to stay home.”
The girl came into the living room where Stiles and her Mom were and sat down next to Stiles.
“What can I do? I want to help.”