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ellewritesathing · 5 years

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So Close - S.S. VIII

Summary: The universe has a funny way of putting the things you want right in front of you, but just out of reach. Stiles and Y/N have been best friends ever since Scott brought him home, but when Stiles realizes that he might want to be something other than best friends, she leaves to go to some fancy private school up North. Now that she’s back though … maybe he’s got a shot? A Teen Wolf AU in which the reader has always been so close to Stiles and yet so far.

Prologue - S2E1 Part 1 - S2E2 + S2E3 Part 2 - S2E4 + S2E5 + S2E6 Part 3 - S2E7 +S2E8 Part 4 - S2E9 + S2E10 Part 5 - S2E11 + S2E12 Part 6 Part 7 - S3AE1 Part 8 - S3AE2 + S3AE3

Word-count: 4k+

Having Isaac back had been great, but the problem was that he didn’t remember anything about where he’d been or what he’d seen when he was missing. That’s how you ended up sitting with him and Derek in the loft, watching him pace as you all waited for Peter to help bring the memories to the surface.

“You know what?” Isaac eventually seemed to come to a conclusion and you motioned for him to continue. “I definitely don’t like this idea and I definitely don’t like him.”

“You’ll be fine.” Derek seemed the least concerned out of the three of you, sitting calming in his chair.

“Okay, but I mean can’t you do it?” You twisted slightly from your spot on the table and nudged him with the end of your shoe. “I don’t like him much either.”

“He knows how to do it. I don’t.” Derek seemed to soften when he looked up to see how nervous you and Isaac were. “It would be more dangerous if I tried doing it myself.”

Isaac pointed out that Scott didn’t trust Peter and you saw Derek’s patience slip again. You knew he cared about Scott but he was clearly growing tired of him constantly intervening with - but not actually joining - the pack. “Okay, but I still don’t like him,” Isaac conceded eventually.

“Nobody likes him.”

The love for making an entrance must run in the Hale family, because as soon as Derek was finished speaking, the loft door slid open and Peter strode in, making a snappy comeback about the negativity surrounding his return. “Coming back from the dead has left my abilities somewhat impaired but the hearing still works. So I hope you’re comfortable saying whatever it is that you’re feeling straight to my face.”

The three of you didn’t even need to look at each other before all saying, “We don’t like you.” Peter didn’t seem to appreciate that very much, but you ignored him to hop off the table and speak to Isaac. You told him that he didn’t have to do this if he wasn’t ready, but he promised he’d be fine.

A few minutes after Peter walked you through the process, you sat on the couch with Derek and watched him with Isaac. He was still asking Peter a question when Peter plunged his claws into the back of Isaac’s neck. You jumped to help him when he was flailing and yelling, but Derek stopped you when Peter started seeing things. He pulled away quickly and harshly when he was done, and the whole endeavor turned out not be especially helpful; the only thing he knew for sure was that Isaac found Erica and Boyd, but everything else was blurry.

“What does it mean?” Isaac asked in the smallest voice possible.

“He’s gonna kill them,” Derek said, eloquent as ever.

“No, no, no. He didn’t say that.” Peter searched for the words he was looking for. “He did promise them that by the full moon that they’d both be dead.”

“This full moon?” you asked. They all looked at you. “That’s tomorrow night.”

---

Deaton was going to induce hypothermia in Isaac to slow his heart rate - and even though you trusted him way more than you did Peter - you were still nervous about it all. You still helped them empty ice bags into the bathtub, but you all stopped when Deaton brought Isaac in and they walked over to the tub. That’s when Deaton revealed that his heart rate would have to be so slow that he would be nearly dead.

“It’s safe, though, right?” Isaac asked, looking up at him. That poor kid had already been through so much, but you knew they needed to do this.

“Do you want me to answer honestly?”

“No.” He decided, looking back to the ice-tub. “No, not really.”

Stiles snapped a rubber glove on his arm and the five of you all turned to look at him; you and Derek were mostly glaring at him rather than looking, but semantics. “What?” Stiles asked, eventually giving up and throwing the glove away.

Derek told Isaac that if it felt risky that he didn’t have to do it, but he’d already made up his mind. He took off his shirt and eased himself into the water. Once he was in, you knelt down and put your hand in the water to hold his. You bit back the urge to make a joke about not forgiving him if you lost a finger to the cold.

Honestly, the cold was the least of your problems because when Isaac started panicking, he started turning. You cried out when his claws sunk into your forearm, but you still helped the others hold him under the water. Suddenly, all of his thrashings stopped and he floated to the surface. His grip on your arm loosened and drifted back to your hand.

Deaton warned you that too many voices could confuse Isaac, so he had to be the only one to talk to him. The process was slow, but it was working until Deaton told him to remember the night in vivid detail. Isaac started to panic, and you tried to squeeze his hand lightly to support him. The lights flickering didn’t do much to ease the anxiety in the room … and neither did the storm outside.

“Someone’s here.” Isaac moved his hand up to your wrist and tightened his hand around it. It felt like your bones were fracturing. “Someone’s here.” Deaton told him to relax but it didn’t help. “No, no, no! They see me! They see me!” He pulled his arm into his body and dragged you deeper into the water. Not too much, but it was still more than you were prepared for. Stiles moved forward to pull you out, but you shook your head at him. You let him hold your other hand though.

Isaac started recounting his memories: He heard Boyd talking about not being in control during the full moon, but he still couldn’t see either of them, and that they were worried about hurting each other. Derek started talking and you glared at him, mentally telling him to shut up. Deaton started pushing him again but Isaac bolted upright, and this time he did pull you in enough to soak your entire upper body.

“They’re here.” His voice came out as a whisper. The only movement in the room was Stiles trying to wipe the water off your face, but he slowed as Isaac continued. “They’re here. They see me. They found me! They’re here!” He was yelling by this point, gripping tightly on your arm. It felt like he was tearing through your skin.

“This isn’t working.” Derek started yelling at him, like that would help any. “Isaac, where are you?”

He kept yelling over Deaton’s guidance, and Isaac was screaming in his panicked state. Scott told him to stop but it was too many voices. Isaac yelled that he was in a bank vault and there was a dead body, and then he snapped out of it. The release on your arm was enough of a signal for you and you pulled yourself out of the water, shaking and cold. Stiles pulled you closer and wrapped a towel around you. The others were helping Isaac while Stiles checked on your arm that had been in the water with Isaac. It was bloody and covered in tiny, nail-sized claw marks.

“It’s Beacon Hills National Bank,” Isaac started, stuttering either from the cold or the anxiety. “It’s, um- it’s an abandoned bank, and they’re keeping them locked inside. Inside the vault.”

“Do you remember what you said before you came out of it?” you asked. Even though he’d torn up your arm, you were still worried about how he’d take the news. Isaac shook his head.

“You said when they captured you that they dragged you into a room and that there was a body in it.” Stiles paused, still upset that you’d been hurt, and Isaac asked who’s body it was. “Erica. You said it was Erica.”

---

Deaton cleaned up and bandaged your arm and Stiles had dug his lacrosse jersey out of the Jeep so you had something dry to wear. You huddled next to Isaac on the counter as the others argued, trying to get warm. He’d gotten over the cold a lot faster than you had thanks to his werewolf abilities, and now he was just trying to make it up to you.

Derek was trying to argue that Erica was alive, which you desperately wanted to believe was true. “If she’s dead, then who was in the vault with Boyd?”

“Someone else, obviously,” Stiles answered, sounding worn out.

“Maybe it was the girl on the motorcycle, okay?” Scott said before looking at Isaac. “The one that saved you?”

“No, she wasn’t like us.” Isaac shook his head. “Whoever was in the vault with Boyd was.”

“What if that’s how Erica died?” Stiles asked. “They pit them against each other during the full moons and see which ones survive. It’s like werewolf Thunderdome!” You flinched at the comparison and pushed yourself off the counter so you stood next to him.

Derek said that then you’d get them out tonight. Deaton argued that you needed a plan, and Stiles googled the bank while the two of them argued. “It looks like someone already broke in,” you hummed, head resting on Stiles’ arm as you read over his shoulder. “We could just use their plan.”

---

“This is how they got in.” Stiles circled the entry point on the bank plans. “It’s a rooftop air conditioning vent that leads down inside the walls of the vent, which is here.” He made another circle. “One of the robbers was lowered into this shaft. Now, that space is so small that it took him about twelve hours to drill into that wall - which is stone, by the way.”

You listened to him detail the rest of the plan from where you sat on the couch with Isaac. He was still pretty out of it, and honestly so were you. He’d apologized about a million times for hurting you but you told him not to worry about it. He’d never intentionally hurt you. You tuned back into the conversation when Stiles and Derek started bickering.

“If I go in first, how much space do I have?” Derek asked.

“What do you- what do you think you’re gonna do, Derek? You gonna punch through the wall?” They both stood up straight to face one another and you slowly moved more upright.

“Yes, Stiles.” Derek was smiling. This wasn’t going to end well. “I’m gonna punch through the wall.”

“Okay, okay, big guy. Let’s see it. Let’s see that fist - that big, old fist. Make it. Come on.” He put his hand out for Derek to punch, demonstrating the small space he’d be in. “Get it out there. Don’t be scared.” Derek balled his hand into a fist, looking sufficiently annoyed. “Okay, see this? That’s maybe three inches of room for you-”

Derek punched forward, barely using any energy, and hit Stiles so hard that he spun around and almost knocked into the table. You dashed towards him and pulled him away from the group. He was groaning and saying that Derek could do it, but you told him to shush so you could look at his hand.

“Can you open your palm for me?” You kept your voice quiet so you wouldn’t bother the others. You were holding Stiles’ forearm in your hands, just like he’d done for you at the animal clinic.

“Yeah, it’s not- not that bad.” He was trying to blow you off and seem casual, so you rolled your eyes.

“Okay, tough guy.” You used your hand to unfurl his fingers and rubbed his palm gently for a few seconds. He didn’t say anything, so you figured it was okay. “It looks fine. Do you want to head back?” He nodded and the two of you joined the argument again. Peter wasn’t going with them. Isaac wasn’t up to it either, even though he wanted to help.

“I don’t know about Erica,” Scott started, “But if Boyd’s still alive, we have to do something. We have to try.”

“I’m coming too,” you said. They all looked at you like you were crazy.

“What? No way.” Scott shook his head. “You’re not like us. You could get hurt.”

“I was helping them look for months and no one seemed to care that I wasn’t like you!”

“It’s different now.” You looked over at Derek, hurt that he didn’t want you to come with. “Besides, someone’s gotta keep an eye on him.”

“I don’t need a babysitter!” Stiles whined.

“Not you. Him.” Derek pointed at Peter and you sighed.

“Fine. But if anything happens to you two-”

“It won’t,” Scott promised.

---

Stiles was staring out the window, rambling, and Peter was being bitter and annoyed on the couch. You’d taken to curling up on Derek’s bed since it was the farthest you could get from Peter without leaving the loft. They were arguing about why the alpha pack had kept them for so long and Peter suggested that they were being poetic. You rolled your eyes.

“They’ve already had three full moons to be poetic.”

“And here you’ve only had one full hour to be so annoying…”

Peter trailed off and Stiles started harassing him again, but you pushed yourself up to look at him. You’d spent enough time with him over the summer to know when something was up. “Peter?”

“What are the walls made of?” He got off the couch and walked over to the plans that were strewn across the table. You and Stiles shared a look before following him. The walls were made of hecatolite and Peter looked very worried. You started digging for your phone to call Scott when Stiles took his out and beat you to it.

The stone kept them from feeling the effects of the full moon as long as they’d been kept there because it scattered the moonlight, and that meant that if Stiles and Scott were in there with Boyd and the girl that they’d be killed. The call cut out and Scott’s end was full of growls and fighting noises. You shook your head and mumbled about how you had to leave.

“I have to go help them,” you said, pulling away from them. “I’m gonna get Isaac and-”

Stiles grabbed your arm and you winced - it was the one Isaac had injured earlier. He let go immediately and apologized. “You can’t, okay? Scott and Derek can handle them but they’ll kill you.”

“Stiles, I can’t just sit here. They’re gonna kill my brother!”

“Look, I know it looks like that, but-”

“So are you two dating or ...?” You stopped arguing to glare at Peter. He looks exasperatedly at you. “What’s the deal with all the hand-holding and teenage angst?”

“No, okay?” You recovered before Stiles did, but the two of you were still holding non-injured hands. “We’re not dating. We’re just-”

“We’re close, alright?” Stiles finished for you. “And what do you care anyway?”

Peter rolled his eyes. “I don’t. But the racing teenage hearts are getting really old.”

“Then I’ll get out of your hair.” You gave Peter a sickly sweet smile and slipped out of Stiles’ grip to go help your brother, ignoring his protests.

---

Thankfully, Scott and Derek were still alive by the time the four of you had met up in the woods, unfortunately, that was about all the good news they had. Cora and Boyd were attacking just about everyone and everything they came into contact with, and right now you guys were just trying to minimize their collateral damage. And if that wasn’t enough, Stiles had called and told you guys that he and Lydia found a dead body by the public pool, but it didn’t make sense for it to be Boyd and Cora’s because that was on the other side of town.

“We need help,” Scott said eventually.

“We have Isaac and Y/N now.” Derek counting you in as help made you feel a bit better about yourself, but you knew you guys were in over your heads.

“I mean real help.”

Isaac was about to say something but you put your hand on his arm to stop him. “I agree. Derek’s the only one with real experience here, and - no offense - it’s kind of limited when it comes to tracking them,” you said.

Scott nodded, thankful for your help, but Derek still needed some convincing. “They’re too fast for us. For all of us. They’re too strong, too rabid-”

“We’ll catch ‘em.” Derek was shaking his head. You didn’t think he could deal with much more after losing Erica. Honestly, you weren’t sure if any of you could.

“What happens if we do?” Isaac asked. “Are we just gonna hold them down until the sun comes up?”

“Maybe … maybe we should just kill them.”

“No!” you snapped.

“Killing them isn’t the right thing to do,” Scott said.

“What if it’s the only thing to do?” Isaac asked. “If we can’t even catch them, what else do we do?”

“We can’t even catch them, and you dummies think you can kill them?” You shook your head and started walking away. You planned to make a loop and come back after blowing off steam, but Scott caught your arm so you stood next to him

“We just need someone who knows what they’re doing.” He tried to smooth things over. “Someone who knows how to hunt werewolves.”

---

Scott wanted to talk to Chris on his own, so you waited in the car with Derek and Isaac. You had your feet propped up on the dashboard, curling into the spare jacket Derek kept in the car. You’d told them to wake you up if Scott got shot.

“So, your, uh… your sister…” You opened your eyes when you heard Isaac’s voice from the back. You didn’t want to miss Derek’s reaction to this. He turned in his seat and gave Isaac the harshest death glare you’ve ever seen; you tried not to laugh. “Sorry, yeah. It’s-” he cleared his throat nervously “-Bad timing. I’m sorry.” Derek turned back to face the front, but not before catching you spying on them. “I’ll ask later. It’s fine.”

You laughed so hard when Derek turned around again that you had to readjust yourself in the seat. Isaac eventually settled on never asking about Cora and you felt human again. “Hey- hey, guys.” You hit Derek’s shoulder lightly to get his attention. “They’re moving. Let’s go.”

Scott took Chris past the pool so he could see the kid they’d found. It seemed that even though Scott’s words hadn’t convinced him, the dead body did. He agreed to help and he showed everyone the equipment they’d be using and how to use it before giving everyone jobs. You were going to work together to herd Boyd and Cora into the school. Since you couldn’t run at werewolf-speed, Chris agreed to let you drive in the car with him.

“So you’re not a werewolf,” he said, halfway into a very silent ride to school.

“Is that a question?” He didn’t find your joke very funny so you continued. “No. Derek offered but, uh … I like being human.”

He nodded, quiet again for a few moments. “And they’re training you?”

“Yep.” You rolled down the window when he stopped to drop one of the ultrasonic emitters into the ground. The lacrosse jersey had ridden up your arm when you moved and Chris caught a look at the scratches on your arm. You pulled the sleeve down and gave a nervous smile when you sat back down. He didn’t say anything until you guys stopped at the school.

“I’ll, uh, need to talk to Allison about it, of course, but-” He pulled the handbrake up, looking for the right words for what he wanted to say. “Would you be willing to let me train you - like a hunter?”

You felt the corners of your mouth turn up and you leaned over the armrest and gave him a hug. “Oh, thank you, Mr. Argent!” You pulled away and grinned at him. “I love Derek but he’s way better at training werewolves. Don’t get me wrong, he’s taught me a lot but-”

“Right.” Chris cut you off with a smile and an awkward pat on the shoulder. “Let’s finish this and we can, uh, talk about that later.”

About twenty minutes would reveal that the plan wasn’t going phenomenally, but it was going. Boyd and Cora were going over the school, but you’d managed to draw them inside so that Scott and the others could trap them in the boiler room. You were out of breath and shaky by the time you met up with Isaac again, and he was busy checking to see if you were okay when you looked outside the window.

“Isaac, the sun’s coming up.” You turned to look at him. “The sun’s rising, you gotta tell Scott!”

“I’m not leaving you. You look like you’re gonna puke,” Isaac said, always the gentleman.

“Isaac, you’re faster than me. Go tell Scott and I’ll meet you there now.” He still seemed reluctant. “Go!” You watched him run down the hall and turn the corner. You took a deep breath and found him and Scott carrying out Boyd and Cora. You helped get them into Derek’s car, but when Scott got a call from Stiles saying to come down to the hospital, you left with him to see what was going on.

---

“So Boyd and Cora might not have killed anyone?” Scott asked as Stiles covered Heather’s dead body.

“You’re gonna wish they did,” Stiles said.

“Why?” you asked, not really sure you wanted the answer.

“I’m not exactly sure yet,” Stiles sighed. “The other girl who was out in the woods - Emily - eventually they’re gonna find her. She’s one of them. Emily, Heather, that guy Lydia found at the pool … all three were virgins. And they’re all gonna have the same three injuries: strangled, throat slashed, head bashed in.”

“The threefold death,” you said quietly, wrapping your arms around yourself. When Scott and Stiles turned to look at you, you shrugged. “What? I read.”

“So if these aren’t random killings,” Scott said slowly, turning back to the table, “Then what are they?”

Stiles took a breath and you shared a look before he answered. “Sacrifices. Human sacrifices.”

The three of you walked out of the hospital slowly, each in your own haze of thoughts. You were supposed to meet Melissa in the parking lot to go home, but you told Scott to go ahead so you could talk to Stiles.

“So what’s up?” he asked, putting his hands in his pockets.

You pushed a piece of hair behind your ear. “I, uh, just wanted to know when you needed the jersey back. I know you guys have practise tomorrow but laundry’s kinda the last thing I feel like doing right now.”

“Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah, totally.” Stiles cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. Was he nervous?

“So when do you want it back?”

“Uh- you know what? I’ve got a spare I can use until laundry day rolls around, so, uh, you can- you can keep that for now, if you want.”

“Oh, um.” You weren’t expecting that. You looked around awkwardly. “Yeah, that’s great. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem … and, uh, about what Peter said, at the loft …” You were quiet as Stiles tried to finish his sentence. He was looking at you like he was trying to gauge your reaction. “That was weird, right?”

It would’ve been less painful if he punched you in the stomach. “So weird!” you lied enthusiastically.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought!” Stiles threw his hands in the air, almost granting your wish of being punched. “Well, anyway. I should get going. It’s a school night and all that …”

“Right,” you said softly, nodding. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

Part 9

#stiles stilinski #stiles stilinksi x reader #stiles slow burn #stiles stilinksi imagine #mccall!reader #so close #teen wolf #teen wolf au #teen wolf rewrite

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ellewritesathing · 5 years

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So Close - S.S. XI

Prologue - S2E1 Part 1 - S2E2 + S2E3 Part 2 - S2E4 + S2E5 + S2E6 Part 3 - S2E7 +S2E8 Part 4 - S2E9 + S2E10 Part 5 - S2E11 + S2E12 Part 6 Part 7 - S3AE1 Part 8 - S3AE2 + S3AE3 Part 9 - S3AE4 Part 10 - S3AE5 + S3AE6 Part 11 - S3AE7 + S3AE8

Word-count: 4.6k+

A/N: Guess who’s been working on fics instead of doing their planning for preptober!! Anyway, hope you guys like it :) feedback is always appreciated

You got together with Scott and Stiles to have dinner and talk things over. Things had been a quiet type of different since getting back from the cross country meet, but it was difficult enough to talk about without all the other alpha-and-darach-related things going on as well.

“At least Derek’s alive,” you said after a while, cracking open your fortune cookie as you did.

“Yeah, well Derek’s never been a real help to us so forgive me if I’m not jumping for joy,” Stiles said. He reached out and snatched the fortune out of your hand. “‘Exciting times lie ahead.’ Hey, these really are accurate!”

You rolled your eyes and stood to clear the plates. Scott took Melissa’s food out of the fridge and then the three of you piled into the Jeep to take it to her at the hospital. You waited with Stiles in the car and the two of you talked about Scott. He seemed to be doing better, but it was no secret that he was still stressed.

You stopped mid-analysis when you saw Scott storming out of the hospital with Ethan right behind him. “Uh oh,” you hummed as you opened your door. “This isn’t gonna end well.”

Before you could get to them, a car crashed into one of the parked cars on your right. You looked at Scott for a second before the three of you ran over to see if the driver was okay - Stiles running a few feet behind because ‘the damn door wouldn’t open.’ When you got there, you found the car empty. Another sacrifice.

Ethan left before the cops got there, so you, Scott, Stiles, and Melissa tried to explain what happened to Noah - Dr. Hilyard was the one whose car crashed in the parking lot, and the ER Attending was the one that never even made it in - but he was having a hard time focusing with all of you speaking at once. Eventually, he just sighed and held up a hand in defeat.

“Let me just focus on getting your story first, alright?” Noah said to your mom. Melissa nodded. “Kids, give us a second.”

Stiles started complaining, but you and Scott each took an arm and walked a few feet away. You took a breath and crossed your arms over your chest before speaking. “So we all agree that these two are definitely sacrifices, right?” you asked. “I mean cars don’t just drive themselves.”

“Or crash themselves,” Scott said with a sigh. He put his hands in his pockets.

“Yeah, it’s gotta be one that Deaton mentioned: Healers,” Stiles said.

“But what about Danny? He threw up mistletoe. That’s not a coincidence.” Scott shook his head. “And if he hadn’t been with Ethan, he probably would’ve died. Danny’s not a healer.”

“Yeah, Danny’s a lot of things but-”

“Can you hear that?” Stiles asked Scott, tilting his head in the direction of your parents. When he saw the look you were giving him for interrupting, he mumbled an apology and squeezed your arm.

“Well?” you asked, decidedly on Stiles’ side.

“They found a body,” Scott said looking more haunted with every word.

---

You stayed with Melissa until her shift ended, drove home with her, and didn’t leave her alone until it was time to say goodnight. You didn’t explain that your clinginess was because you thought some crazy ex-druid was going to kidnap her and ritually kill her, instead opting for an excuse that vaguely sounded like: ‘Scott didn’t want to share his room with Isaac and I don’t want to sleep next to him.’

You actually slept pretty well, given the circumstances, but Melissa’s sudden movement woke you up. You grabbed your knife as you asked what was wrong.

She shook her head. “Look at them.” She pointed to where Scott and Isaac laid (passed out on the chair and asleep on the floor, respectively). “Boys! What do you think you’re doing?”

The two of them jumped to their feet, but they were still clearly half-asleep and very surprised that Melissa got the drop on them. She raised an eyebrow while they stammered out their explanation and you laughed.

“Uh, we were watching over you,” Isaac explained, looking at Scott for backup.

“We wanted to make sure you weren’t the third sacrifice,” Scott agreed, nodding slightly.

You frowned, shifting closer to hug Melissa from behind. “But you were both asleep?”

Scott turned to Isaac and they argued over who was on watch last.

You rolled your eyes and kissed your mom’s cheek before rolling out of bed. By the time you were standing and stretching, they finally decided that Isaac was on watch last.

“My heroes,” Melissa laughed. “Wait, didn’t you say that they were all doctors? I mean, I haven’t had an MD recently attached to the end of my name so I think I’m in the clear.”

“A healer doesn’t have to be someone with a degree,” you yawned.

“And you were definitely a healer last night,” Scott said.

“Yeah, well, I’m not gonna be anyone’s human sacrifice today, so all three of you need to get your butts to school.”

You gave your mom a mock salute on your way out, dragging Isaac and Scott behind you.

---

During the change of periods, you saw Scott and Stiles rushing towards the parking lot. You followed them and caught Stiles by the arm. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“Deaton’s been taken. I’m going with Scott to-” The two of you watched as Scott sped past on the bike and Stiles sighed. “And clearly, we’re not carpooling anymore.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” you asked.

“Nah. Just do me a favor and tell the others?”

You nodded and watched him push open the doors to follow Scott and took a breath before going to find your friends. Isaac and Boyd were on their way out to help Derek, Allison was more worried about Scott than Deaton when she heard the news, and Lydia was nowhere to be seen. You saw Aiden when the fire alarm went off and you asked if he’d seen her. He told you to check Coach’s office.

When you got there, you found Lydia and Cora in the middle of an argument. Cora was gripping Lydia's forearm and Lydia was telling her to let go.

“Hey, you guys okay here?” you asked, closing the distance between you and then. You’d barely spoken to Cora since her mysterious arrival, but you thought that she respected you at the very least.

“We’re fine,” she told you, dropping Lydia’s arm.

Lydia rubbed her arm with a frown on her face before looking up to snap at her, ‘If that’s your definition of fine-”

“There you are!”

You heard Stiles before you saw him. The three of you stopped arguing to look at him.

“Well, don't just stare at me. Come on, we've got work to do.”

He didn’t elaborate on what he meant by having work to do, but the three of you followed him to the empty chemistry classroom nonetheless. When he was sure you were alone, he pulled out an ouija board.

“Seriously?” you asked.

“It’s worth a shot,” Stiles said, unpacking the board.

“A shot in the dark,” Lydia mumbled. She ignored the look Stiles gave her.

“Could you just try it, please? Okay? Let’s not forget who this is for: Scott’s boss, the guy who has saved our collective asses on more than one occasion,” he said.

Stiles was already frustrated, and combined with the mood Lydia was in and Cora’s general demeanor, this was going to be a fun little experiment.

“Oh, wait, should we all do this?” Cora asked.

Stiles thought you should, so you all placed your hands on the pointer and waited for something to happen. He asked where Deaton was, and when nothing happened you all looked over at Lydia carefully. She asked what you were staring at.

“It’s just… Lyd, aren’t you gonna do something?” you asked gently.

“Oh, I don’t know the answer,” she told you. She pulled away. “I thought we were asking some sort of spirit?”

“Well, do you know any spirits?” Cora asked.

Lydia paused, taking a moment to frown at both you and Stiles before asking, “Is she for real?”

Stiles was getting increasingly frustrated so you suggested a new method before someone started yelling. He dangled Deaton’s keys in the air and asked Lydia to try and feel out his location with them. To which Lydia argued that she wasn’t a psychic, and Stiles yelled that she was something. You groaned and rubbed your head, sensing Cora making similar annoyed movements on your left.

When psychometry didn’t yield results, you moved onto automatic writing. This was more of a psychological tool than a supernatural one, but it was another way of trying to find Deaton so you gave it a shot. You peered over Lydia’s shoulder and watched as she started drawing a tree.

“Lydia, you’re supposed to be writing words. Like in sentences. Something like a location.” Stiles was almost ready to start yelling again. “Something that would maybe tell us where he is!”

“Well, maybe you should’ve said that,” Lydia said defensively.

“Isn’t she supposed to be some kind of genius?” Cora asked you in a disbelieving tone.

“Lydia’s the smartest person I know,” you said carefully. “But there isn’t really a Divination For Dummies handbook that we can use, so maybe you guys could cut her some slack.”

“Some slack?” Stiles repeated. “Y/N, Deaton is missing. Taken. Morrell told us that Lydia’s our only chance at finding him and you want us to cut her some slack?”

“Honestly, I don’t even know why you’re bothering with me anyway,” Lydia said before you could argue with him. “I mean, especially since it’s obvious you should be talking to Danny.”

“What? Why Danny?” Stiles asked, immediately dropping his defensive attitude.

“Because-” Scott came in, holding his left shoulder “-Last night, he was a target, but it wasn’t a sacrifice.”

“Isn’t Danny still in the hospital?” Cora asked. The bell had rung so you were all following Scott into the hallway.

“Yeah, that’s where we’re going right now,” Stiles answered.

“I’ll meet you there,” Scott said.

You asked why and he showed you a text from Allison saying that she found something. You shrugged and walked with him to the parking lot before you, Cora, Lydia, and Stiles all crammed into his Jeep. Stiles insisted on going in alone so the three of you had some more painfully awkward bonding time in the car.

“I haven’t heard from Boyd and Isaac in a while,” you said eventually. “I hope their plan is working.”

“Derek won’t let anything happen to them,” Cora said. Maybe it was just the light but you could’ve sworn she smiled at you. Was she trying to comfort you?

“Yeah, I know.” You reached for her hand and she tensed, so you dropped it.

“Although this heart to heart is comforting,” Lydia said from the front. “Stiles is coming back and he’s on the phone. You mind putting those werewolf powers to use and telling me what he says?”

Cora told you that Danny was doing a project on telluric currents running through Beacon Hills. They wanted yo guys to meet up with Scott at the animal clinic to discuss it and then try to find Deaton.

“So telluric currents are geomagnetic fields that flow through the earth. They can even be affected by lunar phases,” Stiles recapped.

“They’re like ley lines,” you said. “You know, what druids used to organize pilgrimage and their sacred sites.”

“Yeah, but now look at this.” Stiles flipped open Danny’s homework and pointed to the words scribbled in red in the top right corner. “This is a note from Harris on Danny’s proposal.”

“I strongly advise you to choose another subject,” Lydia read, “The ideas here, while innovative and thoughtful, border on pseudoscience. Not suitable for class.”

“Harris wasn’t just a sacrifice. He knew something,” Scott said.

“Yeah, now check this out,” Stiles said, unfolding Danny’s map that he marked the currents on. You overlayed Chris’ map and Stiles copied the markings. The bodies were found directly on top of telluric currents.

“Stop.” Cora reached out for Stiles’ hand and moved it over to Beacon Hills First National Bank. “He’s in the vault. He’s in the same vault.”

Everyone started scrambling but Cora wasn’t moving. You yelled at them to wait but they weren’t listening. Cora looked up from her phone and she seemed scared.

“It’s Boyd,” she said. “The plan didn’t work. They cut the power.”

“It’s just like he said.” Scott’s voice was soft as he spoke, but then he was forceful. “Go. I can save Deaton myself.

“What? Scott, what about us?” Stiles asked.

“Derek needs all the help he can get,” you argued. “And Cora’s fast but she won’t make it there on foot.”

“Go! We can save both of them,” Scott said, turning to leave. The rest of you ran to and piled into the Jeep again.

---

When you got there, Stiles, Cora, and Lydia ran to the maintenance hallway but you darted to the elevator. Stiles tried to catch your arm but you were too fast for him. You slammed the buttons and looked over your shoulder. Stiles was still right behind you.

“Go switch the power on! They need me,” you told him.

“Y/N, you’re-”

“Tell Isaac when you switch the power on.”

Stiles was still arguing with you when the elevator doors closed. You felt like an idiot standing there, waiting to get to the right floor, but you knew you couldn’t run up all the stairs and make it there in time.

When you got there, Kali had impaled Boyd on Derek’s claws and the twins were holding Derek in place. They were killing him. You ran forward, needing to do something - anything - but stopped when Isaac gripped your wrist so tightly that you had to fight the urge to cry out. Kali and the twins walked out, and you made sure to make eye contact with all of them. They would pay for this.

Derek was trying his best to keep Boyd alive, but you knew you were watching him die. It felt like someone was ripping your heart out of your chest as you watched him slump down and fall to the ground. The sound of the water splashing around him was deafening. You ran forward, going to hold him, to make sure he wouldn’t be alone, but Cora made it there first.

She was sobbing as she leaned over him and cradled his body. You placed a hand on her back, trying to comfort her, but the gesture was hollow. So you sat in the water and wept with her. He didn’t deserve to die the way he did, but at least he was with Erica again, running through the stars and in the moonlight.

---

“Okay, so is two days like standard, then? Or are we thinking Derek’s on like some extended getaway?” Stiles asked.

Cora had just told the two of you a story about Derek and Peter when they were younger. They’d been ambushed by hunters and had to hide in a root cellar until they healed. You know, the normal response to being asked ‘where the hell is your brother? We need to talk.’

“Why do you care?” Cora asked, turning away from the window.

“Why do I care?” Stiles asked. “Hm. Let’s see: over the last few weeks, my best friend tried to kill himself, his boss nearly got ritually sacrificed, a girl that I’ve known since I was three was ritually sacrificed, Boyd was killed by alphas, I- do you want me to keep going? Because I can, alright? For like an hour.”

“Stiles, I think we get the point,” you said gently, trying to make him less hostile. He took a breath and you watched Cora walk closer to you.

“And you two think Derek can do anything about all that?” she asked.

“Well, since he’s the one everyone seems to be after, it’s more like he should do something about it,” Stiles clarified.

“Look, Derek’s not the strongest leader but he always comes through in the end. If we can find him, I really think he can fix this.” You sat down on the couch, looking to Stiles or Cora to say something.

“I don’t know,” she said eventually. “There’s something different about him now. He wasn’t like this when we knew him.”

“Then what was he like?” Stiles asked, sitting next to you.

“A lot like Scott, actually,” Peter said as he descended the staircase. “A lot like most teenagers: unbearably romantic, profoundly narcissistic, and tolerable really only to other teenagers.”

“So when you grew up, you decided to pick ‘profoundly narcissistic’ as your trait to develop?” you asked. Peter looked ready to snap at you but you shrugged as Stiles spoke.

“Wait, so what happened? What changed him?” he asked.

“Well, the same thing that changes a lot of young men… a girl.”

“You’re telling me some girl broke his little heart? That’s why Derek is the way he is?” Stiles was squirming next to you so you put an arm around him to keep still. This would go a lot smoother if one of the Hales didn’t punch him for annoying them.

“Do you remember Derek before he was an alpha, he had blue eyes?” Peter asked. “Do you know why some wolves have blue eyes.”

“Jackson had blue eyes when he turned,” you said, frowning. “But none of the others betas did. Cora doesn’t. But you- you have blue eyes.”

“I just always thought it was like a genetic thing,” Stiles said.

“If you want to know what changed Derek,” Cora ignored Stiles and looked at you as she spoke, “You need to know what changed the color of his eyes.”

---

At some point during Peter’s retelling of Derek and Paige’s epic teen romance, your group had changed positions. Stiles sat on the chair next to the table, you sat next to him on the tabletop, with your crossed leg touching Cora’s because she sat next to you on the table, and Peter was pacing or sitting or standing whenever the mood fit. You thought the story was sweet but Stiles and Cora didn’t look as enamored. Stiles just kept trying to hammer out the details and Cora looked like she was grieving for the person her brother used to be.

Peter told you about the night that the hunters ambushed them; they managed to get away but another beta wasn’t so lucky. Ennis’ beta. Ennis wanted revenge but Deucalion wanted peace … but Deucalion’s vision didn’t stop Ennis from marking the distillery wall with their symbol for vendetta.

“Man, you guys really take that ‘revenge’ thing to like a whole new level, don’t you?” Stiles asked.

“It’s not just revenge,” Cora explained. “Losing a member of your pack isn’t like losing family. It’s like you lose a limb.”

You looked down at your hands. Sometimes it still felt like Boyd’s blood was there, stuck between your fingers. You still felt Erica’s death, but at least with her you didn’t have Lady Macbeth syndrome with her.

“They wouldn’t even let him see the body.” You couldn’t tell if Peter was ignoring you, or using your emotions to bolster his story. “Said they weren’t related - Ennis didn’t have a claim to the body.”

“I don’t get it,” Cora interrupted. “What does this have to do with Derek?”

“Everything,” Peter said. “It’s never just a single moment. It’s a confluence of events. Personally, I looked at Ennis’ circumstances, and I saw a profound loss. Derek saw something different. He saw opportunity.”

You tried to hide the frown that spread across your face. “Opportunity to do what?”

“To always be with her,” Peter explained. “But the thing was, he had this constant fear. He was obsessing over it, thinking about it all night and all day, always on his mind. And I kept telling him not to do it, but every day the more he thought about turning her, the more convinced he became.” He looked up at you. “And you know teenagers. I bet he even blames me. He’s probably even convinced himself the whole thing was my idea.”

If Derek was anything like Scott, you knew he wouldn’t blame Peter for anything. He would blame himself. And Peter was the guy who killed his own niece for a shot at being an alpha, who’s to say he wouldn’t hurt an innocent girl to get Derek on his side?

---

Ennis had agreed to turn Paige as a favor for Derek and as a way to get on Talia’s good side, but he refused to back down when Derek changed his mind. It was too late anyway, Paige had already been bitten.

“So did she turn?” Cora asked.

“She should have,” Peter answered. “Most of the time, the bite takes. Most of the time.”

“When you offered it to me,” Stiles started, “You said, ‘If it doesn’t kill you.’”

“If.” Peter’s voice was quiet and he paused for a few seconds, replaying some memory in his head, before continuing, “Some people just aren’t made for this.” He looked at you. “I remember taking her body from his arms to the woods, to a place where I knew that it would be found … Another in a long line of Beacon Hills animal attacks.”

“And what about Derek?” Cora asked. Maybe it was the light again, but you could have sworn there were tears in her eyes.

“Taking an innocent life takes something from you as well; a bit of your soul, darkening it, dimming the once brilliant, golden yellow to a cold, steel blue.” Peter looked up from where he sat and showed you all his werewolf eyes. A cold, steel blue. “Like mine.”

“Okay, so that was a lot,” Stiles said abruptly, standing up and holding a hand out to you. “Dinner?”

You blinked a few times in the moment it took you to understand what he meant. He wanted to talk about it somewhere Peter couldn’t hear. “Uh, yeah,” you said, sliding off the table to your feet. “Cora, you wanna join us?”

“Why would I-” Your back was to Peter, so you tried to mouth the words ‘to talk.’ It seemed like she got the gist because she straightened up. “Fine. But I’m not getting in that crappy Jeep again.”

“Hey, that crappy Jeep-”

“Deal,” you cut Stiles off. “We’ll meet you there?”

Cora nodded in response and you started walking away with Stiles, him mumbling about this not being a very fuel-efficient way of traveling as you left.

---

“What?” Cora asked, looking at Stiles. He’d barely touched his food since you sat down. “What’s this- this look on your face?”

“What look?” Stiles asked, seemingly recovered and shoving a handful of fries in his mouth.

“The kind of look that makes me want to punch you,” Cora said, rolling her eyes.

“Oh my god, you are so Derek’s sister.” Stiles took a slurp of his milkshake and you put a hand on Cora’s arm to keep her from lunging over the table to punch him.

“I think we just want to know what you think of Derek and Peter: The Golden Years,” you said.

“I don’t believe him,” Stiles said, setting down the shake. “It’s like … in Ms. Blake’s class we’re reading The Heart of Darkness, and it’s in first person, right? Narrated by Marlow. The thing is he’s an unreliable narrator. You know the details of it have changed just because of his perspective.”

“Well, then we heard the story from Peter’s perspective,” Cora said.

“I don’t particularly trust Peter’s perspective.” You twirled your straw around in your drink. “There’s a few things there that just don’t make sense.”

“Exactly! I don’t think we got the whole story,” Stiles said.

“So, what, are you guys just gonna ask Derek about the girl he fell in love with and then killed?” Cora asked.

“If I have to … Yeah.”

You sighed and finished your food. The story was muddled and complicated, and you needed time to think about it before any of you could make your moves - the only problem was that you didn’t have time. You looked over and saw Cora watching Stiles clear the trays so you nudged her lightly with your elbow. “Hey, how are you doing?” you asked gently.

“How am I doing?” Cora repeated slowly, sarcastically.

“Yeah, I mean you’ve been through a lot lately. Finding out you're not the only Hale, being kidnapped, Erica and Boyd…” You shrugged. “It’s a lot. How are you dealing with it?”

“Fine, I guess,” Cora mumbled.

Stiles came back and clapped his hands together to get your attention. “So, we ready to go? I gotta get you home before Melissa kills me.”

“Actually, I'm gonna take Y/N home,” Cora said, standing up. You were surprised but didn't fight it.

“Yeah, we just talked about it,” you lied. “Besides, I love you and all but I’ve really gotta spend more time with other girls.”

“And this is your top choice?” Stiles asked.

Cora glared at him and he rushed out an apology, which made you laugh. You walked around Cora and patted Stiles’ shoulder on your way out. “See you around, Stilinski.”

---

Derek’s Porsche was exactly how you remembered it: expensive and by far the nicest car you’d ever been in. You had to restrain yourself from fiddling with all the buttons and settings, but Cora’s voice drew you out of your concentration.

“I thought I was doing fine,” she said. “With the change. With everything.” She paused. “But when they killed Boyd …” She trailed off, not sure how to finish.

“It made you realize that nothing was fine,” you finished. You shook your head. “Stiles- he doesn’t get it. He’s lost a lot in his life, but he wasn’t close with them.”

“He wasn’t part of the pack like you were.” Cora’s words were simple, but you knew the weight they carried. She took a shaky breath and the car slowly picked up speed as she spoke, “That’s why he doesn’t understand the vendetta. It’s not revenge, it’s-”

“A promise that you won’t forget,” you said. “A promise to make them understand what it’s like living with an open wound.”

Cora looked at you for a second before turning back to the road. The car slowed. “Yeah.”

The rest of the drive home was quiet. You were too busy thinking about what you said and what Cora had said. You figured she was probably doing the same. And when she stopped the car in your driveway, she looked ready to say something about it. You pretended not to notice.

“You know, it drives me crazy that they’re not doing anything about it,” you said. “The sacrifices are because of the alphas. The alphas that killed Erica and just let her rot. That killed Boyd. I know we can’t kill them but-”

“I have an idea,” Cora cut you off. She looked excited but scared. “You don’t have to be a part of it but-”

“I’m in,” you said. “Whatever it is. I’m in.”

And that's how you and Cora came up with a plan to get even. It was messy and wouldn’t hurt all of them, but it was enough. Enough to quiet the rage that burned inside so that you could sleep that night.

Part 12

#stiles stilinski #stiles stilinksi x reader #stiles slow burn #stiles stilinksi imagine #mccall!reader #teen wolf #teen wolf au #teen wolf rewrite #so close

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