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Step by Step, We'll Get There	By : Sasunarufan13 Category: S through Z > Teen Wolf Views: 4674 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Wolf nor profit of it. Jeff Davis owns it.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
Author's note: Longer chapter than usual, but I'm just going to assume that you won't mind that too much :P Not sure whether you should get used to a length like this, but we'll see I guess *hums*
Warnings: Another description of a dead body; small time skips and ATTENTION: at the end of this chapter while it is very much implied (like nothing described at all), the end scene refers dubious consent (in the sense that Stiles can't remember anything at all because he was so out of it). I tag it as dubious consent because that's the closest warning I can come up with for this particular scene. So just be aware.
I hope you'll like it!
Chapter 8
Stiles was loathe to admit it, but Theo was actually very good at coming up with amazing date ideas. It seemed he'd paid quite some attention to the stuff in Stiles' room, deducing his interests correctly from that observation, because he first took Stiles to the movies, to watch Deadpool 2. A mercenary with a big mouth and very dubious morals? Yeah, Stiles was sold.
They'd got tickets to the earliest screening so afterwards Theo took him to play paintball for two hours where Stiles somehow managed to not trip or flail too much and they actually won the game. Yeah, Stiles was quite surprised about that.
Dinner, though, proved that Theo was actually serious about his courting and that he was trying his best to win Stiles over: curly fries with a hamburger.
Now Stiles was a strong man, all right, really strong, but everyone had a weakness and god if he wasn't utterly weak for those delicious golden curly fries, sent straight down from heaven. He couldn't stop a low moan from escaping him when he shoved a handful of them in his mouth, uncaring how that would make him look. Curly fries, man.
"The food good?" Theo asked amused, supporting his chin on his hand. He'd chosen a cheeseburger with curly fries as well, although his serving of fries was somewhat smaller than Stiles'.
"Good? It's amazing!" Stiles exclaimed, heedless of the foul look an elderly woman seated at a nearby table threw at him. "You're really going for all my weak points, huh? Superhero movie, paintball, now curly fries – pulling out the big guns, I see."
The Alpha shrugged and smiled. "I figured I need to pull out all the big guns if I want to have a shot at winning your heart," he said lightly. "I'm going up against Hale, after all. Not an easy competitor." His chuckle was a bit self-deprecating and he rubbed his hand across his mouth.
Stiles paused, lowering his hamburger slightly. "You do know Derek isn't courting me, right?" he said carefully. For some reason the thought that Theo thought he was actively competing against Derek didn't sit well with him. Especially because it wasn't true. Well, not in the literal sense at least.
It wasn't like Derek could court him at the same time Theo could. His life would be so much easier if that actually had been possible, because at least then he could have spent time with Derek however he wanted to, including being near each other instead of being forced to keep some distance like they had to now. Not to mention he would have been able to put a stop to this farce a lot sooner instead of having to sit out a full six months with Theo.
Theo wasn't a bad guy, really. Clearly he was thoughtful, given how much effort he'd put into this date, and he was friendly and with time Stiles thought he could come to like him as a good friend. But in the end that was all Theo could ever be to him: a good friend. He didn't feel any click with him whatsoever, no butterflies like the ones he'd felt when he first laid eye on Lydia – before he realised they were better off as friends – no spark between them like he'd experienced with Derek.
There was just nothing with Theo and while he felt bad for the guy, it wasn't like he could help how he felt. Theo could pull out all kinds of big guns as much as he wanted, Stiles had already made his decision and that didn't include the Alpha sitting in front of him.
He guessed Theo was right in the sense that Derek wasn't an easy competitor – except the end result of the match had already been decided and that was something Theo seemed to have not realised yet.
Or maybe he's just in denial, Stiles thought when Theo pressed his lips together for a moment before shaking his head quickly.
"Oh, I know he's not officially," he replied airily. "But I'm not stupid or naïve either. I know I'm not exactly your first choice."
Stiles kept quiet, not knowing how to respond to that. They both knew it was true, though.
Theo's smile turned wry and he raised his glass in the air. "I just ask that you give me a proper chance for the next four and a half months. Maybe I can surprise you after all."
"If I wasn't planning on giving you a proper chance, I wouldn't have agreed to this date, would I?" Stiles retorted and quirked an eyebrow. To lighten the atmosphere again, he added casually, "Just so you know, though, you made a good call with the curly fries. No one can resist the call of curly fries."
The grin spreading across Theo's face was wide and genuine and he looked pleased when he drank from his coke. "Thanks, I try my best."
Things turned a bit awkward when they stopped in front of Stiles' house an hour later. Dusk was only just settling in, the sun still painting the sky orange and rose and purple, and the scent of barbeque drifted into the open windows of the car, together with the noise of people chattering and laughing. Someone was holding a barbeque further down the street.
There were some kids riding their bikes through the street, egging each other one as they raced and two cats – ones belonging to Mrs. Smithson if Stiles remembered correctly – were soaking up the last sunrays on a windowsill, looking like one big blob of black and white against the window.
Removing his seatbelt, Stiles cleared his throat. "So, er, thanks for today. I had a lot of fun."
Theo smiled, relaxing his grip on the steering wheel. "I'm glad to hear that. I was worried you would be bored."
"Definitely not bored," Stiles reassured him and reached out to open the door. "Well, I guess I'll see you soon again? You've got my number so …" he trailed off with an awkward chuckle, feeling suddenly uncomfortably warm in the car.
"Stiles."
The mention of his name had him turning around again, just in time to see Theo leaning towards him. In a flash he understood what the other one was planning and he turned his face away slightly, causing Theo to miss his lips and brush his cheek instead.
A baffled look appeared on the Alpha's face when he pulled back startled and Stiles smirked, waggling his finger. "I don't kiss on the first date," he told him loftily.
Theo smiled crookedly, leaning back in his chair. "How many dates does it take then?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Stiles was out of the car before Theo could say something else and made his way to the front door. He waved when Theo started the car again and opened the door when he drove off.
"Stiles?"
"Dad, yeah, I'm back." He kicked off his shoes and padded into the kitchen, relishing the coolness provided by the fan on the kitchen counter. It wasn't a big fan, but it did what it had to do. "Don't you have a night shift?"
"Yeah, I'll be leaving in a bit," Dad confirmed, closing the fridge and handing a soda can to his son. "How was your date?"
Stiles shrugged and dropped down on the chair, opening the can with a loud 'psssht'. "It was fun. We saw Deadpool 2, then went paintballing and we got curly fries just now."
"Curly fries, huh?" Dad blinked, draining his own can. "Wow, he's trying his best it seems."
Stiles offered him a wry smile. "At least I can't claim he's not trying his hardest, right?" He sighed and pursed his lips. "Would have been easier if he was just a jerk about this, though."
"While I do get what you mean, I'm glad he isn't a jerk. I'd be hard pressed to follow those backwards rules if he was behaving out of line towards you," Dad muttered, a dark look crossing his face for a moment.
"Yeah, but at least then I would have been able to put a stop to this quicker," Stiles pointed out petulantly.
"I know, son." Dad walked past the table and clasped his shoulder. "Just four and a half months still left to go. And the last part of that you'll be at college anyway, so you won't have to put up with him for too long."
The younger man perked up. "That's right! Means I only got around two and a half months left," he realised pleased. He could do that. Just get through the summer and then he'd be away at college and he could count down the days until he could return to Beacon Hills to inform the Council he wasn't interested in Theo.
"Exactly." Dad patted his shoulder before jerking his thumb backwards over his shoulder, pointing at something on the kitchen counter. "By the way, a blonde girl was here for you this afternoon. Erica? I believe that's her name. I think I've seen her with the Hales before."
"Erica? What was she doing here?" Stiles asked surprised, abandoning his soda in favour of checking out whatever was waiting for him next to the coffee machine. It turned out to be a small piece of paper with two series of numbers written down in a neat handwriting.
"Said she'd forgotten to give you her number and that of Boyd's and that you should text her soon to meet up," Dad answered lightly.
That particular tone had Stiles looking up from the scrap of paper. "What?" Whenever dad used that particular tone, he actually wanted to ask something else.
"Nothing, just that she doesn't seem the – type you would hang out with," Dad commented carefully, leaning back against the table.
A sharp bark of laughter escaped the Omega as he imagined the outfit Erica must have been dressed in when she popped by. No doubt she'd been wearing something very tight and toeing the line of too revealing, wearing bright red lipstick and high heels. No, he supposed she didn't really seem the type to hang out with him.
"She and Boyd are friends with Derek and we kind of started talking to each other a while ago," Stiles said and shrugged, plucking his phone out of his pocket to add the numbers to his contact list. "They're quite cool. Erica's more bark than bite anyway."
"Well, I guess hanging out with Lydia prepared you for that," Dad said amused, chuckling when his son stuck out his tongue. A quick glance at his watch had the sheriff grimacing slightly and he shook his head, straightening up. "All right, I have to go now. If you're planning on still going out somewhere, send me a text, okay?"
"You still haven't caught the ones who killed those people in the Preserve?" Stiles inquired, stuffing his phone back into his right pocket. He knew the answer, of course, given that he was keeping an eye on the files, but his dad didn't know that.
Dad's eyebrows pulled together and he rubbed over his eyes. "No, we haven't yet, so be careful when you go out."
"I promise, you be careful too."
"Always," Dad promised and after squeezing Stiles' shoulder, he left the kitchen, probably to get his holster, gun and his badge. "I'll see you in the morning, Stiles!"
"Yeah, tell Jordan I said hi!"
The door falling shut announced dad's departure and not even a minute later, the cruiser drove away, leaving Stiles standing alone in a slowly darkening kitchen. Checking the kitchen door to make sure it was locked – he might snoop around in the police files, but he wasn't stupid enough to leave the door to the garden unlocked – he snatched up his soda from the table and locked the front door as well before making his way upstairs. He might as well surf a bit on the internet still before going to sleep.
His phone buzzed with a new message. Scott: 'And, how was the date?'
With a groan, he started composing his answer, hoping that would be the last time he'd have to answer that particular question.
"So how weirded out was your dad that I showed up?" Erica smirked; her eyes hidden behind her sunglasses. She wore an emerald green bikini and her blonde hair was nearly blinding in the sunlight.
Rolling his eyes, Stiles replied, "He told me you didn't seem like the type I'd hang out with."
"Rude," she huffed and waved a hand over her body. "Please, who wouldn't want to hang out with me?"
"If you were dressed like you usually do, I'm not surprised my dad thought that," he retorted amused, snickering when she smacked his leg.
"No insulting my girlfriend," Boyd said calmly, dropping down on the empty towel next to Erica. Isaac had stopped swimming in the lake and was just drifting aimlessly now.
"Hey, I never said I had a problem with it. Erica looks cool in whatever she wears," Stiles said, pulling a chilled bottle of water out of the cooler. "Dad's just not used to having girls clad in leather show up at our front door."
"I was told that crashing your date would be inappropriate just to leave our numbers, so I decided to stop by your house," she said and pressed her lips together, still sounding unhappy at the thought of Stiles having gone on a date with Theo.
The Omega couldn't say he didn't share her sentiment, but he couldn't exactly refuse and Theo had been pretty cool overall during the date, so he couldn't complain too much.
"Told by whom?" he asked amused, wondering who had managed to actually convince Erica not to go through with an idea she had. She was even more stubborn at times than Stiles himself, and that was saying something.
"Peter." She scowled. "Still haven't decided whether he was being thoughtful or just trying to get a rise out of Derek."
"Probably both," Boyd murmured. "He's having quite some fun with this situation between you and Derek."
"Well, as long as the bastard has his fun," Stiles sighed, not having expected anything different from the older werewolf. Peter was Peter and he wasn't going to change his habit of antagonising people just because one of them was his own nephew. As a matter of fact, he might even enjoy getting a rise out of Derek more, specifically because he was his nephew. The guy was twisted like that.
"So anyway, whenever you want an excuse not to hang out with Theo – or just an excuse not to be alone with him – you can call us," Erica suggested, smiling when Boyd handed her a can of soda. "Thanks, babe."
"Scott is still an option too," Stiles couldn't help but point out, sitting cross legged on his own blanket. There was already sand strewn across the light blue fabric, making him wonder why he even bothered with it anymore. He'd probably be digging sand out of places it shouldn't be in for days after this.
She snorted and tossed her hair back. "No offense, Stiles, but when it comes to being an actual determent, I think we'll be more of use to you than Scott. We're not likely to be distracted by our mate," she smiled sharply.
And – that was fair, he admitted begrudgingly. He loved Scott like a brother, but god knew he was quick to get distracted when it came to Kira. It was just how he was and Stiles couldn't be mad about it. If his best friend was happy, he was happy, end of story.
When it came to forming a barrier between him and Theo, though, Erica, Boyd and Isaac were probably the better choice. They – especially Erica – seemed almost as annoyed as Stiles was with this arrangement. Maybe it was because Derek was their friend and they were forming a pack of their own, causing them to act like this because Derek wasn't happy with this situation either; he didn't ask.
"Either way," she leant across and draped her arm briefly across his shoulders, "we're only one call away, Batman."
Smiling at the nickname – she must have seen the comics in his room when she'd been there before to play videogames – he squeezed her fingers softly. "Thanks, Catwoman."
She winked and her grin was a bright flash against the summer's sky.
Throughout the days that followed, Theo took him out on a couple of more dates. He took the Omega to the comic book store, which was quite obviously a win, an amusement park two towns further where Stiles discovered that no, hotdogs and quick rides weren't a good combination and a trip to the lake, this time also inviting Stiles' friends – including Erica, Boyd and Isaac to Stiles' surprise. Erica was having a lot of fun scent marking him that day – he wasn't oblivious nor stupid, the amount of hugs she bestowed on him and the ways she kept touching him one way or the other, even going as far as pushing him into the lake, could be considered nothing less than scent marking at this point.
He'd been slightly worried that would make Theo pissed off – especially because Stiles could smell Derek on the three – but the Alpha remained remarkably calm. He definitely was doing his best to make a good impression on Stiles.
Hell, he even played videogames with him, even though it was clear that he wasn't exactly an expert in it. If Stiles wasn't in love with Derek – and yeah, he could admit that to himself, even if it felt a bit weird to use the words 'in love', but 'like' sounded way too juvenile and not fitting for what he felt for the Beta – he might actually be inclined to start liking Theo.
However, Theo could put as much effort into his 'wooing' as he wanted, Stiles' heart was firmly set on one person and that wasn't the Alpha.
Still, he had to give him points for trying at least.
'Thinking of having a picnic with Kira. You in? Maybe with Theo or so?'
Humming, Stiles texted his reply rapidly; a part of his attention still on his laptop, which displayed an article about a possible dragon sighting in north east China. 'Yeah sure, I'll ask him.'
'Cool! Got to go now, mom's calling me'
Probably for the, Stiles checked the digital clock on his screen, monthly movie night. Melissa insisted on having a movie night with her son only, starting a few years ago when she became busier at the hospital and Scott became busier with school and working at Deaton's vet practice. So Melissa had decided that once a month when both their schedules allowed it, they would set aside an evening for the two of them only, watching movies and catching up on things that had happened to them.
Stiles and his dad occasionally did that too, but the sheriff's job and odd hours at times made it difficult to actually make such evenings a tradition.
Throwing his phone next to him on the bed, knowing he wouldn't hear from Scott anymore for the rest of the evening, he went back to reading the article, trying to figure out whether the witnesses had been bullshitting or not. A dragon seemed rather surreal, but they could turn into animals themselves, so who knew what else was out there, hidden in the world?
A knock on the door startled him. "Yeah?"
Dad opened the door, dressed in his uniform again and holding one hand on his gun. "Just got a call, so I'm heading out."
"Is the call interesting?"
Dad ignored him, rude, and went on, "Don't stay up too late. I know it's summer, but that doesn't mean you need to be up until three in the morning."
"I won't," Stiles said, saluting the older man lazily.
Dad eyed him, but nodded. "I'll see you in the morning, son."
Stiles waited until he heard the door of the cruiser slamming shut and the motor starting, before he jumped out of his bed and dug out the police radio scanner he'd swiped from the station a few years ago. As far as he knew, nobody had realised they were missing one; he used it occasionally, during nights when crime was higher than usual and he needed something to reassure himself that his dad would be fine.
Now it would be a good way to find out what kind of call had his dad going out so late when his shift had ended two hours ago.
There was some static on the scanner, but Stiles could clearly hear a female voice stating, "One eight seven. All available units to the Preserve."
He might not know all the codes yet – dad refused to share them with him, even though he must know that Stiles had already picked up the meaning of several of them – but this one he definitely knew the meaning of: the code one hundred eighty seven stood for murder.
Another body had been found in the Preserve.
He was playing with fire now, he realised. If dad found out he'd sneaked out of the house to check out a crime scene – a murder scene – he'd be majorly pissed off and Stiles would be grounded until he went to college – and possibly even beyond that.
So yeah, he really shouldn't be here right now, but his morbid curiosity had reared its ugly head and wouldn't leave him alone until he'd given in. It might not be anything special, not connected to the other murders, but his gut feeling told him otherwise.
A fourth body in the Preserve? Yeah, the chances of that being just a coincidence were very low.
Crouching, he slowly crept forward, making sure not to make a sound. That wasn't so hard, given that he'd shed his human skin and was lurking about in his fox form. His Jeep made a too distinctive noise and the front of the woods were crawling with police officers, so if he wanted to catch a glimpse of the scene, he had to do so Shifted.
He hadn't even needed his nose to guide him to the place of the crime scene; from the moment he'd heard 'Preserve' through the scanner, he knew the body could only have been found in one spot: the clearing with the dead tree where he and Claudia had spent so many afternoons.
His instinct had been correct. Scuttling between two bushes, he felt sick when the nauseating, sick smell of burnt flesh smacked him right in the face. Whoever the victim was – and it was hard to tell whether they'd been female or male, given their appearance now – they'd been burnt alive, their skin black charred and still smocking, discarded a few feet to the right of the tree. A man in a white coat was kneeling next to the body, examining it with a heavy frown on his face.
It took everything in him not to retch right there and then. How could anyone do this to another person? Just set them on fire, leaving them to die a horrible death? How could anyone be this sick, this deranged?
The place crawled with police officers, his dad standing furthest away from his hiding place discussing something with Parrish, while other deputies went around, collecting evidence, trying to find any clues the killer might have left behind. Their faces were grim, some looking pale in the bright lights installed around the perimeter, and a couple of them looked away every time they came near the victim. Stiles couldn't blame them; it was a gruesome sight.
Forcing his eyes away from the body, he looked around the clearing, and started when he spotted Talia Hale near his dad. She had her arms crossed, still dressed in a smart suit, and her face was hard, but her eyes showed clearly that she was upset. Next to her, for some reason, Deaton stood, watching the scene with a sad look on his face. Why was he here? Talia, Stiles could understand somewhat, given that the Hale house was nearby and she'd probably heard the commotion, but why would Deaton be at a crime scene? This was hardly an animal he needed to help.
Something nipped at his tail and he barely held back a bark of surprise, whirling around to confront whatever animal thought they had the right to bite his tail. Hackles starting to rise, he instantly deflated and dropped down to his stomach when he saw the huge hulking form in front of him, multicoloured eyes staring down at him. They flashed yellow and Stiles whined softly, pressing himself further into the earth as if the ground could swallow him up.
The wolf snorted and swiftly bent down, snatching him up by his neck. For a moment Stiles thought about fighting back, because seriously, this was fucking humiliating, he wasn't a damn pup! But then the wolf growled lowly, a warning sound, and Stiles deflated, sulking as the larger animal trotted off with him, carrying him all the way back to his house.
As the wolf was larger, it didn't take him long to cross the woods and break out of the cover of the trees, padding into the backyard of the Stilinskis. Stiles was unceremoniously dumped onto the porch and the wolf snorted again before the sound of bones cracking and muscles stretching filled the night air until the wolf had made place for the man.
A very naked, very muscled man and god damn it, he really couldn't deal with that sight now. That was the damn issue with Shifting – why couldn't they do that with clothes on?! Slapping his paws across his eyes, he tried to ignore the other one right in front of him.
That didn't really work when a finger prodded against his side and Stiles snapped at it reflexively.
Of course he didn't manage to actually bite him and Derek sounded entirely unimpressed when he said, "Stiles, change back now."
The fox grumbled, not really wanting to shift back now. It was one thing to have Derek standing naked in front of him, filling the air with his pure scent and looking rather otherworldly in the pale moonlight, and a completely other thing to be naked too, which would happen if he shifted now.
Damn it, he should have just stayed home instead of letting his curiosity take over common sense.
Derek huffed and sounded exasperated when he pointed a finger at Stiles. "You stay here; I'll be right back. Don't even try to make a run for it."
Stiles was rather tempted, but he knew he wouldn't be a match for Derek, especially not if he shifted back. Besides, the last thing he needed was to accidentally run into his dad or any of the other deputies still wandering across the Preserve.
So he waited, curled up on the porch, while Derek entered the house and walked upstairs. He didn't know what the Beta could possibly want from upstairs, but that was quickly answered when his clothes were thrown right next to him, Derek stepping off the porch. He had a towel wrapped around his hips, hiding his bits – thank god, because this was already going to be embarrassing enough without Stiles humiliating himself when he changed back – and crossed his arms, nodding at the bundle of clothes.
"There, you've got your clothes. Change back, we need to talk," Derek said gruffly and turned around, giving the younger man some privacy.
With great reluctance, Stiles did as he was told and pulled on his clothes as fast as he could. "Derek, I - "
"Why am I not even surprised you were sneaking around at the crime scene?" Derek turned back around, his heavy eyebrows drawn together in a frown. "What the hell were you even doing there?"
"I just – I wanted to know whether this murder is tied to the previous three," Stiles muttered, feeling chastised even when Derek hadn't so much as raised his voice or actually berated him for being there.
"I'm pretty sure your father told you not to stick your nose in this case," Derek pointed out annoyed.
Throwing his hands up, Stiles sighed explosively. "Oh please, as if that would stop me. I wasn't going to do anything, I was just curious."
"Stiles, now's not the time to go behind your father's back," Derek snapped, his eyes flashing. "Do you even realise how dangerous it can be now in the woods, especially when the police doesn't have any clue yet who's behind this? How do you think your dad will feel if you ended up being a victim too, because you were wandering alone around places where you shouldn't be?"
Stiles flinched back, hugging himself tightly. "That's a low blow, Derek," he said through clenched teeth, hating that the other man knew him well enough to be able to use his weak spots against him.
Derek had at least the grace to look contrite. "I – shouldn't have said that, but Stiles, you can't just waltz into the woods now, not with that killer on the loose. He's already killed three people, this victim might be the fourth one – this isn't the time to start playing detective on your own."
Great, now he was starting to feel guilty. "I know, I wasn't trying to either. I just …" he trailed off and the silence between them was heavy, unlike the ones they'd shared before.
Surprisingly Derek was the one to break it. "Just … Stay safe, okay? Don't go wandering around at crime scenes. Let the police deal with this."
"Yeah, all right," Stiles acquiesced, both knowing and hating the fact that Derek was right. This type of case was something he shouldn't mess with, but old habits died hard and it had become almost second nature to him to check dad's cases and see if he couldn't figure out the clues left behind.
Those cases before had mostly handled theft or burglary or the occasional homicide – never an actual serial killer.
Derek nodded, appearing somewhat mollified, and turned around, his hands going to the towel as if he was about to drop it and shift back.
"Why were you even there?" Stiles suddenly blurted out, keeping his eyes averted. "How did you even know I was there? Dad didn't seem to know."
The older man huffed amused and the trace of fondness lacing his voice when he answered made Stiles flush, "It was a crime scene in the Preserve – I had a feeling you would be sneaking around. As for how I found you: I can pick out your scent no matter how many people are around."
As Stiles spluttered, the towel dropped and the large, black wolf stood once more in front of him. Derek darted forwards to press his wet nose against the Omega's hand before bounding off, disappearing into the cover of the trees.
The palm of his hand still seemed to tingle when Stiles finally went to bed an hour later.
"You're sure you're okay?" Theo threw him a concerned glance before focusing on the road again.
They were driving past the Preserve, back to Stiles' home. The plan had been to go to the park and meet up with Erica and Boyd just to hang out, but Stiles had been feeling off since the moment he woke up and it had only grown worse as the hours went by. His head felt fuzzy, as if stuffed with cotton, and while the warm summer temperature was probably partly to blame, he felt too hot and itchy and it took every last bit of restraint not to divest himself of his clothes right there and then. His stomach was vaguely cramping; not enough to be really painful, but it wasn't exactly pleasant either and he kept his arm pressed against his abdomen, as if that somehow would help push the cramps back.
Erica had taken one look at him before promptly ordering him to go back home and rest there. In other words: he looked like shit enough that it even worried her.
The thing was: his symptoms felt rather similar to the ones he experienced during his heat, but he couldn't be experiencing his heat now. He was still taking his medicine after all, which put a stop to getting a heat until he skipped taking his pills. Maybe a summer bug then? Or summer flu? That was a thing, right?
"Hm, maybe the heat's getting to me," Stiles muttered and rolled his head towards Theo, raising an eyebrow when he noticed the way the other one seemed to be trembling slightly; his hands clenched tightly around his steering wheel. There was an odd flush dusting his cheekbones and his lips were pressed together until they formed one line.
"Are you okay?" he questioned, wondering whether he should call Scott or even Boyd to ask them to take over driving. "You don't look that great."
"Always a flatterer, huh?" Theo quirked a quick grin and the Omega shrugged. "I'm fine, just a bit meh. Think I'm coming down with something."
"Summer bug maybe," Stiles mumbled, letting his head thunk against the window. It was starting to become harder to concentrate on the road and the trees flashing by; maybe he really was coming down with some sort of summer flu. Dad would probably start fussing over him when he came back in a couple of days.
"… dad home?"
"What?" Stiles blinked and forced himself to straighten out, realising he'd missed a huge chunk of Theo's question. "Sorry, what did you say?"
"When's your dad coming home?" Theo repeated, slowing down to a stop when the traffic light jumped to red.
"Oh, er, this Saturday."
"Saturday?" Theo reiterated surprised. "When did he leave? Why's he gone for so long?"
"It's not long, just a couple of days," Stiles snorted, closing his eyes briefly. His limbs were quite heavy, as if they were being weighted down by something. "It's something for his work; a conference of sorts."
Dad hadn't wanted to go actually. With the serial killer on the loose – he'd begrudgingly admitted that the police was treating the cases of the four bodies as a serial killer one, even if they hadn't managed to find many links between the victims yet – he hadn't exactly been eager to leave town for a couple of days, even though his deputies were quite capable and could hold down the station on their own for a few days.
Still, his presence at the conference had been confirmed months ago and after debating about it, the sheriff had decided he would use his time at the conference to ask other sheriffs present whether they had had dealings with a serial killer like this one. Only the thought that other people might provide more information about the murderer had made the sheriff leave for the conference in the end. Not, however, before making Stiles swear he would lock all the doors and windows every night and when he was out during the day and under no circumstances was he allowed to go wander alone through the woods.
Up until a few months ago those rules would have made Stiles roll his eyes and complain, but after seeing the burnt body in the Preserve, he had no desire whatsoever to 'play detective' as Derek stated. He still could smell the disgusting, foul stench of human flesh burning; the bad odour seemingly having attached itself to the inside of his nostrils.
So no, dad wouldn't have to worry about him sneaking around at night; Stiles had had enough of that for a while.
"Ah. Well, should I call someone else?" Theo asked hesitatingly. "Someone who can stay with you while you rest?"
"I can take care of myself; I'm not a toddler," Stiles snorted, rubbing his eyes. Shit, if he got his hands on the one who had infected him with whatever annoying summer bug he was coming down with … They'd be so sorry!
By the time Theo parked in front of the house, Stiles swore he was going to sweat right out of his skin. It wasn't even that hot inside the car, but his damn clothes stuck to him like he'd just taken a swim in the pool. He pushed open the door before Theo could say something and stumbled out of the car, his legs feeling all weird and jelly like, rubbery.
He'd only taken a couple of steps before he suddenly buckled through his knees and he braced himself for the inevitable pain that would greet him when he fell, but strong arms wrapped quickly around his chest and hauled him upright.
"All right, come on, I'll help you to your room," Theo muttered and shifted his arms until one was wrapped around Stiles' waist and he slung Stiles' arm around his own neck, holding his wrist with his free hand.
"D-don't need your help," Stiles muttered and frowned when he heard himself slurring. Eugh, he'd be so pissed off if he had got the flu somehow!
"Yeah, unless you like to meet the ground with your face, you need my help," Theo said unimpressed and practically dragged the Omega to the front door. "Come on, here we go. Give me your keys."
"Pocket," Stiles said or at least that was what he thought he'd replied. His vision was starting to blur and a sudden wave of dizziness had him smacking his hand against the doorframe, in an attempt to keep himself upright.
Theo said something, but he had a hard time concentrating on his voice. He stumbled through the door which was suddenly open – Theo must have found his keys, thank god – and he thought he was walking up the stairs next.
The Alpha grunted something, his hands like searing brands on Stiles' body, and Stiles shivered for some reason; his lower belly feeling weird.
He was out before his head even hit his pillow.
When he woke up, he realised three things all at once.
One, he had no idea which day it was or how long he'd been out of it.
Two, he was naked. Like completely; nothing but sheets covering his lower body.
Three, his bedroom smelt like sex.
AN2: I don't know much about how police call in crimes, so bear with me, all right? *sweatdrops*
That said, last warning for you all: starting from here on, this story will gradually get darker. If you don't deal well with violence or Stiles getting hurt or some other dark things I'm planning, this might be a good place to stop reading as it will only grow darker from here on. Mind, it will have a happy ending (I swear!) but we're going to wrestle through some dark shit first before we can reach that part.
Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me!
I hope to see you all back in the next chapter!
Cuddles
Melissa
- 7
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- 9
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