Okay, I know I should be updating my stories but this just hit me like a freight train.
Boisterous sound of childish laughter reached his ears and hearing it brought a smile to his lips as he sat within the cradle of the rocking chair, eyes half-mast with a look of utter bliss and contentment shining within the pool of liquid amber.
The rocking chair creaked each time it made contact with the wooden floor, leaving behind a minuscule indent on the well-worn lumber. How many years had it been since this chair had been placed out here? It was slightly worn and weathered from being exposed to the tender mercy of mother nature and from the many hours of being sat on by the same occupant each day.
It had been a gag gift from one of his friends when he had complained about back ache but the joke was on them when he took immediate liking to the shabby piece of furniture. It became his most favorite seat from day one and still is even when decades had passed ever since it was first brought in.
A lot of memories were made on this chair and now he is sitting on it once again, reminiscing about the memories he had made on it from the first day to up until this point of his life. Each memory brought forth a feeling of sweet happiness when it came to mind but it also leaves behind the tang of bitter sadness because that is what it is, a memory.
People always said melancholy is a bittersweet thing and now he finally understood why.
Memories ignited a feeling of joy, especially a good one but it is also a stark reminder of the times that had passed, of an opportunity that had slipped away, of a past that would never repeat once again. He would have not mind it at all because he is not one to regret the decision he had made in the past but when he is the only one left to remember all of these bittersweet memories, it felt too much.
He did not regret the choice he has made but then again, he did not expect to be the one who would live the longest when he is after all a squishy little human amongst a ragtag group of supernatural misfits.
He has long since come to term that he is the most vulnerable amongst his friend, that it took him weeks to get better from a sprained ankle where it would only take mere minutes for his supernatural enhanced friends to already be up on their feet once again.
But to end up being the one who lived longest out of all of them left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Perhaps it should have been expected after all, he is only a human. Even if he is a human who run with the wolves, he could never be on the same speed as them and no matter how much he pushed his body, he would only end up being left behind in the dust like so many times before.
This time was no different than before because he is after all only a human in a household of supernatural creatures.
Yet even with this feeling of acceptance, it was never easy to be the one left standing in front of the gleaming tombstone each time one of them finally succumbed to the embrace of death that had been licking at their heels ever since they were only a mere teenager.
One by one, they burned out around him, either from the hand of their enemies or at the tender hand of sickness. Each time, he held in the feeling of anguish, being unable to do anything despite the wide array of knowledge at his fingertips and the magic that flowed in his veins. Despite how people claimed that magic, Spark, is a miracle worker, he was helpless in the face of death.
He was unable to do anything other than ease the pain of their passing by being there with them to the end of it. It tore at him each time but that was the price he was willing to pay for not being of any more help to them despite being the most powerful Spark that ever existed. He was their emissary and it is his duty to help them in any way possible.
And now he is the only one left.
Yes, he still has the wonderful children and grandchildren that they have brought into the world, a pack that are both renowned and feared by every supernatural creature out there but he just simply felt too tired to go on anymore.
The pack is strong, each of his friends having brought powerful but compassionate children into the world and two of those wonderful children were his, created and conceived inside of his own body for months until they are ready to bring chaos to the world in the form of playful mischief and snapping sarcasm.
Despite only two of them being his by blood, all of them are his through bond of family. They are his pride and joy, his to claim and brag over to the emissaries of other packs. Though most of his friends had not been alive long enough to witness the birth of their grandchildren, he knew each of them would be proud of the family they have created.
But they are not the people he had been longing for.
The people that he had grown up alongside with, fought side by side with, shared tears and laughter with. All of them are gone now and he is the only one left to remember the days of hardship that they had went through in order to see the light of the next day. He is the sole person from the 'golden age' of Hale-McCall pack that are still alive and the reminder of it stung each time.
He is tired of waking up every day without the familiar feeling of warmth coiling deep in his chest.
He is tired of feeling empty without the constant playful tugging at the deep-rooted pack bond in his core.
He is tired of not being able to sense any of his friends like a constant presence at the back of his mind.
He is tired of being the only one left behind.
The thought of leaving behind the family he has hurts more than anything in the world but he thinks they would be able to survive this because they are strong and not to mention, they have each other to lean on after all. They have each other to pull them to their feet once again and they have each other to share the pain with.
He has already done so much to ensure the safety and strength of the pack and he had trained his children well to replace him. So, he thinks he is entitled to the long awaited and well deserved rest he has been putting off.
Sagging into the rocking chair, he stared at the picture-perfect image of his pack frolicking on the wide expanse of land that his family called lawn and felt contentment simmering in his core. He hummed the song that he and his husband had chosen as their song during their first dance as a pair of couple in the vow of matrimony and could not help but smile when the younger pups perked up at the sound of it.
His children had become more than used to the sound of him humming that song under his breath all the time but some of his grandchildren had not. But he is sure they would grow up hearing about it from their parents.
Slowly, his eyes slid close to the sound of laughter and happiness. He attuned all of his senses to the sound of it and slowly let go of the hold he has on his magic, letting it wash over each and every member of his pack and spread throughout the whole preserve of Beacon Hills that they have claimed as their home. His magic brushed against the Nemeton that had been the source of many of his problems but without it, none of this would have been possible.
It was after all the reason why his friends had gotten together in the first place.
The sentient tree sent back a wave of warmth through the bond they shared and he could not help but feel wryly amused at the sadness it projected. He never thought that tree would be that attached to him.
And it looks like it is not only the tree who had realized his slowly decreasing life force.
The last thing he heard was the sound of anguished howl and the countless names he was called with as he finally succumbed into the embrace of darkness.
"-iles."
"-tiles."
"Stiles."
His eyelids fluttered open to blinding brightness that left him dizzy for a moment but when the brightness had receded enough for him to see, he felt the air being knocked out from him. Standing in front of him are his friends and all of them had looked no older than they had been when they had first started this adventure of theirs.
All of them wore an expression of utter exasperation but the fond smile on their lips is more than enough to bring forth a bright grin to his face as he ran toward them like his life depended on it.
He was gathered into their arms and reveled under the warmth that they showered him with. They parted after what felt like an eternity but from the crooked smile on his alpha's face, he knew he is only imagining it.
"There's someone who had been waiting for you."
And it is not hard for him to guess who it is because there's only one person who would be waiting for him and that person is none other than the man he had loved with more than anything in the world.
His friends parted around him to show the man whom had been standing at the edge of the group and he could feel his lips curling into a familiar coy smile when the man turned to look at him.
One step followed by another and he soon throw himself into the strong arms that had always been wrapped around him through the many chapters of his life. He buried his face into the crook of the man's neck and nuzzled the cheek that used to leave his body with many beard burn before.
"Missed me Sourwolf?"
"You took too long."
Sorry about the jumbled mess of writing, I got too excited to write it. And where'd the goddamned tissues.
Anyway, leave a review on the way out