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You’re screaming.
You see the Kanima standing over your dad and you’re screaming.
“Stiles, NO!” Scott shouts – but he’s too far away and you’re running too fast.
There’s a little voice in your head that’s telling you what a bad idea it is to tackle the Kanima, but you’re not listening. Your father’s dead.
You feel your knuckles slice open on the Kanima’s teeth and just as it flicks you away – a dark mass explodes from the police station.
And you’re still trying to get to the Kanima even as Derek tears it apart. Tears Jackson apart.
Scott is holding you now and he’s shouting your name over and over – but his voice is lost somewhere on the high-pitched screeching and thunderous roars of the two creatures.
And just as Jackson falls, the Hunters show and Allison and her father and grandfather are shooting. Derek picks you up and then all you can see are the trees and not your dad and you’re screaming all over again.
“No,” you shout and you’re fighting in Derek’s arms, “my dad! Take me back! Derek!”
Then your vision swims and you black out.
-x-
When you wake up, it’s Isaac who’s sitting next to you. You hear Derek and Scott speaking softly outside of the train.
“Hey, Stiles,” Erica’s voice is soft, quiet.
You just look at her and then the vision of your dad – bloody and broken beneath the Kanima – floods into your mind’s eye.
And as you’re sitting up, Scott is there. You see in his eyes that he’s been crying and before you can say anything, he’s wrapping you up into a hug.
“I’m sorry, Stiles,” he says, and you feel his tears as they wet your shirt, “I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect him. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Stiles, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t fast enough.”
“Where’s my dad?” you ask, you pull Scott back so you can look at him. And when he doesn’t meet your eyes – you know.
“Stiles—” Scott starts as you rush by him.
“I can’t believe you,” you’re shouting and you’re almost to the door when Derek blocks the way. “Move! I have to get my dad! I have to get my dad,” you’re screaming and hitting and pushing and Derek – fucking Derek – is just standing there, taking it.
And it makes you even angrier. And if you couldn’t physically hurt him, you would use the next best thing – your words.
“You let him die, all of you, you were supposed to protect him!” you’re still shoving and he’s still just looking down at you with the saddest eyes. “Where were you?! You were supposed to be there! WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU?!”
And you turn to Scott and Erica and Isaac and Boyd.
“Where the fuck were any of you?” and tears are burning hot on your face and you can’t breathe and the panic is starting to settle deep into your bones because fuck, dad is dead and so is mama and I’m all alone and there’s no one left because dad is dead, dad is dead, dadisdead.
Scott is a sudden blur of motion as he rushes to a book bag and he’s grabbing something and just as you’re doubling over, Scott is there. His hand is on the back of your neck and an inhaler is in your mouth – a sudden cool blast of air filling your lungs.
“Breathe, Stiles, breathe,” he’s whispering over and over. And you hate that you can’t let him go.
And slowly your knees give out and Scott goes down with you, pulling you to his chest reminding you to breathe, just breathe.
And then everything is spilling out. You tell Scott about your hallucination, about how all you had wanted to do was apologize, apologize for all the lies and half-truths. You tell Scott that you don’t know what’s going to happen next because I’m an orphan, Scott, I’m an orphan. There’s no one left. What am I supposed to do? What’s going to happen next? Scott, what the hell am I supposed to do?!
And Scott holds you tighter and he promises you that you’re not alone, that you’ll never be alone, that he and the others are going to take care of you.
You just close your eyes and cry, feeling Scott around you in a way you haven’t felt in a long time. Not since your mother died and you broke down at school – Scott had been there, sitting with you on the dirty bathroom floor as you cried and cried.
-x-
You’re not sure when you fell asleep, but when you woke up – Scott was still there. He had moved you two over to the dirty mattress and wrapped himself around you. Your head had been buried under his chin, one arm under your neck, the other over your waist, his legs intertwined with yours.
Slowly you raise your head and look around, and yep – Derek was behind you as Isaac, Erica, and Boyd curled up at your feet.
A light rumble vibrated through your chest and Scott pulled you down and tucked himself even tighter around you.
And you just let him.
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End