Unsteady | Sterek

Ten: That you're tired of being alone

Nobody really knows what to say.

Stiles is unconscious again, sprawled across Isaac's lap. The young werewolf had returned shortly after Stiles collapsing and had immediately sat with him, running a hand through the boy's hair, a cautious look on his face.

Scott is the most shell-shocked out of all of them. He'd known Stiles was shaken after his possession, had sensed that something wasn't quite right, but this isn't what he'd expected. He'd thought it was something small; Stiles often thinks the littlest things are the end of the world. It's one of the things that Scott loves and Scott hates.

The flinch from the last Pack meeting should have been the red flag. He should've known. Stiles is the type of person to take what little they hand him and give them everything he had in return. His heart is big and he's loyal almost to a fault. Scott thinks that one day, that's going to get Stiles killed.

Except this time, Stiles has given too much. He'd given them time and space to grieve. He'd given them peace of mind by plastering on a smile and giving them a break. He'd given them anything and everything he had left.

He'd been trying to apologise, Scott realises. Stiles had been trying to say sorry for Allison and for Aiden.

Scott doesn't blame his friend for the deaths but on bad days, there's a dark voice in the back of his mind that curses Stiles for the pain he allowed into their lives. It's bad and Scott hates it but he can't help it. The rational side knows there was nothing Stiles could have done but he sometimes he needs someone to blame and Stiles is there.

"Has he said anything to you about the Nogitsune during this panic attacks?" Derek asks Isaac quietly.

Isaac shakes his head. "He usually just cries," he admits. "He shakes a little and he can't breathe properly but I can usually pull him out of it."

"He mentioned nightmares," Scott pipes up. "What about those?" It pains him to realise that Isaac is more of a best friend to Stiles right now than Scott.

Isaac half shrugs. "When he does manage to sleep, which isn't often, he wakes up in the middle of a panic attack. He never talks about it."

"We need to focus on the coven right now," Peter says and they growl at him. He holds his hands up. "Look, I'm sure the kid's issues are intriguing but I'm not interested in dying anytime soon. Been there, done that. Didn't really tickle my fancy."

Derek rolls his eyes and sighs. "As much as it pains me to say it, Peter's right. Our top priority at the moment is the coven."

"But Stiles-"

"Stiles will be fine for now," Derek cut Scott off, hating this, hating Peter, hating the coven. "We still don't know who the Cleyers want."

"Any luck with Markis?" Peter asks.

Lydia nods. "I managed to track him down. He's the shy type, sticks to the shadows. Regular grades, not many friends. Just an average kid."

"An average werewolf kid," Scott says.

Isaac gives him a dry look. "Aren't werewolves our average now?"

No one laughs. Somewhere far off, thunder roars in protest as lightning lashes out. The world is mourning the loss of a spark.