YOUTH || Liam Dunbar [1]

TWENTY ONE

"I'll text you later, Lyds," Katherine promised as she climbed out of her friends car, a plastic bag containing multiple take-out containers of Chinese food and a small one of chocolate chip cookies in one hand, while the other held a container full of macaroni. She had her backpack hanging off one shoulder, containing all the books she could fit inside, along with Stiles' laptop and a few candy bags.

Katherine wandered through the halls of Beacon Hills Hospital, her destination being the nurses station. When she finally arrived there and saw Melissa sitting at the desk while talking to Doctor Geyer, she smiled.

"Hey, Momma McCall," Katherine grinned sweetly. "Doctor Geyer."

"You look much better then the last time I saw you," Doctor Geyer smiled faintly, gesturing to the bandage that stuck out from the bottom of Katherine's shirt.

"I feel better," Katherine laughed, then she winced. "I think I'll be addicted to Tylenol after this, though."

"You'd better not be," Melissa scolded her in a motherly tone. "Now what are you doing here?"

"I'm visiting Dad and bringing Stiles dinner," Katherine explained. "But I thought I'd save your life from the cafeteria food and bring you dinner as well." She set the container down on the desk, and Melissa placed it in front of her computer with a smile. "It's just Mac and Cheese," Katherine smiled sheepishly. "But I don't really know how to make anything else."

"You are a wonderful, wonderful child," Melissa yawned, pulling her in for a gentle hug.

Katherine smiled, then handed Doctor Geyer the container of chocolate chip cookies. "This is my way of saying thank you for not letting me die," Katherine explained softly, noticing the confused look on his face. "Don't worry, Lydia helped me make them, so I don't think they'll kill you. I'd still be careful, though."

"Thank you very much, Katherine," Doctor Geyer chuckled.

Katherine waved to them both as she walked down the hall to the elevator, following the instructions Stiles had given her over text. When she found the right room, she pushed the door open and held the bag of Chinese food up for Stiles to see.

"I brought you dinner," she murmured. Katherine handed him the bag and the plastic fork she'd kept in her pocket, then tucked loose strands of hair that had escaped her messy bun behind her ears.

"Thanks, Kat," Stiles breathed, pulling her in for a hug. Katherine wrapped her arms around his middle, careful not to push on the bandaged area of her stomach. "How did everything go with Parrish?"

"He's handling it well," Katherine admitted, taking her bag off her shoulders. "Asking questions I never even thought of asking."

"He's a cop," Stiles scoffed through a mouthful of fried rice. "It's his job to ask questions."

"Touché," Katherine hummed. She grabbed a bag of Sour Patch Kids from her backpack and popped one in her mouth, letting out a small sigh. "Are you okay, Stiles?" She asked, her voice soft as she tilted her head to the side.

"No," Stiles admitted quietly, chewing on the skin around his thumb nail. "Is that okay?"

Katherine smiled weakly and closed her laptop. "That's perfectly fine."

•••

Katherine sat on her brothers bed, watching as he taped things up onto his 'wall of crazy' relating to Lydia's grandmother, who had been a banshee as well. Lydia stood next to Stiles as he taped up the photo on top of the code Lydia had discovered, and Katherine couldn't help the smile that grew on her face as she watched the way they moved around each other.

It was as if she were watching two magnets on her fridge as a child.

When Lydia moved, Stiles did too — unknowingly, of course — to accommodate her. It was the same in reverse. It made her happy to know that Lydia would have someone who would love her properly, and that Stiles would finally end up with the girl he'd dreamed about being with for as long as she could remember.

"I think I'm off to bed now," Katherine yawned, rubbing her eyes. After receiving a loving hug from both Stiles and Lydia, she wandered the short distance down the hall and into her room.

She let out a small sigh as she changed into her pajamas, then unplugged her phone from her charger and climbed into bed.

As she was untangling her headphones, it buzzed in her lap.

Liam: Are you up?

Katherine smiled and ignored the fact that her heart began to race.

This was just Liam; her best friend.

Kat: Of course I am.

Kat: In all the time you've known me, have I ever been asleep before 11:00?

The reply was instantaneous.

Liam: I was just checking.

Liam: I didn't want to wake you up.

Kat: Well that was nice of you.

Liam: You're damn right it was.

Liam: I'm a gentleman and you know it.

She rolled her eyes and let out a quiet giggle, then immediately covered her mouth.

Kat: Alright then, Romeo.

Kat: What are you doing up?

Kat: usually you're asleep way earlier than this

It took Liam a little longer to respond so Katherine simply plugged in her headphones and set her music on shuffle. Just as she was putting in her second headphone, her phone buzzed with his response.

Liam: Something woke me up. I'll explain it tomorrow.

Kat: Sure.

Kat: So I'm gonna assume you'll be up for a while. Do you feel like talking?

She turned off her phone then pulled her hair out of its elastic and took out all the bobby pins, and ran a hand through it to get rid of the knots. Katherine hummed quietly to her song as her eyelids drooped closed, her head slowly falling to the side.

She snapped awake when her phone buzzed on her chest.

Liam: Definitely.

Liam: I always love talking to you.

She closed her eyes and purses her lips to hide the smile growing on her lips.

Kat: You're really pulling off the whole Romeo thing.

Liam: That's exactly what I was aiming for.

Kat: Don't be a such a dorky dork you dork.

Liam: I'd be really offended if I understood what you just said.

She rolled her eyes and shifted around in her bed, letting out a content sigh. This was why she loved talking to Liam.

Whenever she opened her phone, she wasn't met with messages telling her about how many people had been killed by which supernatural creature, or how much homework she had left to do.

And she certainly wasn't reminded of the very last voicemail she received from Allison before they all left to go find Lydia, telling her how she was supposed to stay safe and that they all loved her very much.

When she was talking to Liam, they were able to be two regular teenagers.