Title What Caring Did
Summary The things caring has done for Stiles, and what it gave him.
Disclaimer I do not own Teen Wolf.
Words 849
Author's Note Yeah, I don't know where this came from. Enjoy?

*~S~*

Caring hurts, but it gives him a purpose. It gives him a friend, and later it gives him more than just one.

Caring helps him to remember what his mom looked like. It helps him to remember her voice, her smile, her perfume… more importantly, the way that she would hold him close after a bad dream; the fact that she wouldn't let go until he went back to sleep.

Caring also helps him to remember not to say 'I hate you' to his dad.

Because caring makes him remember that he had said that to his mom right before she died.

He never meant it.

He hopes that she knew that. Every day he hopes that she knew.

It was such a stupid argument anyway, and he tries his best to forget what it was about. He cares though, and he can't forget. Ever.

Caring gave him a best friend though. Despite the fact that Scott is oblivious and kind of a crappy friend sometimes; Stiles wouldn't trade him for anything.

Because caring gave him Scott McCall.

Then caring gave him someone to obsess over. It gave him someone to want in his life. Not that she wanted him in hers, or at least that's what he thinks she wanted.

He doesn't know why she was crying that day at recess, but he does know that nine year old Stiles thought that she was too pretty to cry. From then on he wanted to see her smile and laugh. So nine year old Stiles sat down next her and never said a word. He just sat there as she cried and told him to go away, and he would glare at the other children when they would get too close to them.

Caring gave him Lydia Martin, and a few times over the years he wondered if he was a masochist. He cared about a girl who didn't even seem to notice that he existed most days. Sometimes Stiles wonders if she remembers him offering her his silent comfort that day. Then he decides that it doesn't matter; he cares about her, and that is what lets him see Lydia, not the mask that she shows the world.

Caring showed him a lonely epileptic girl. It showed him her obsession of him.

At first he didn't know what to do. He ignored her much like Lydia ignored him. H knew it hurt her. Hell he was going through something similar, but he had Scott. As oblivious as the other boy was, Stiles still had him. She had no one, and he pitied her.

Then, because he cared, he continued not to notice her. Well, at least he made her believe that he never noticed her.

Caring made him notice Erica Reyes. It made him remember her, and it made him realize that as much as he genuinely cared about her, he pitied her far too much for friendship to even be possible.

She might not want to be alone all the time, but she deserved more than pity from him. Stiles knew she wouldn't care to have it anyway.

Somehow caring gave him his best friend's girlfriend.

He noticed the effect that the hunter's daughter had on his best friend, and… well, he resented her for it at first, but she's just too damn nice to hate forever.

For Scott, everything was about Allison.

Stiles was a bit more concerned that he was turning into a werewolf though. On top of that he was dating a hunter's daughter.

Allison is nice though. Really nice, and once she knew everything; well, she could definitely look after herself.

So caring about Scott gave Stiles another friend.

Caring gave him Allison Argent.

Then caring did something weird…

Caring gave him a lonely werewolf.

It gave him someone who, yet again, didn't seem to care for him. He'll also admit that Derek scares the piss out of him most days.

Occasionally he seemed to want to help Scott though. He didn't seem to be a bad guy; he just didn't seem to be used to being around a lot of people, or anyone for that matter.

Along with how he had lost his sister, Stiles didn't blame the guy for not having a lot of patience with Scott. Especially when Scoot was more concerned with how he could be with Allison.

Caring made him notice a broody lonely wolf.

Caring gave Stiles Derek Hale.

Stiles liked caring. It was hard, and it hurt a good portion of the time, but Stiles liked caring and noticing people. Even if they didn't know that he saw or cared.

Until caring made him notice a psychotic alpha.

Caring made him see the broken and scarred man who was hell-bent on revenge. Not that Stiles blamed him for wanting to kill Kate Argent. She'd killed his family and left him a vegetable for six years.

Caring made Stiles notice Peter Hale.

Caring had given Stiles another person to pity… up until he attacked Lydia.

Then caring gave him the anger to help put the alpha down.