I hope you all enjoy this one! It's basically a series of oneshots as the various characters learn new stuff or get better at old skills. It does reference events from my previous fic Sleepy Beacon Hills but you don't really have to read it to understand anything.
Music for this chapter: Bones by WENS.
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.
Chris Argent looks up from where he was cleaning his guns and then said, "You could have knocked."
Corey melts into view. "I know. I wanted to make a point."
"And that is?"
"That you can do that."
When Chris cocks his head at him, Corey adds, "Know when I'm there. The only other people who can are the wolves and Mason."
"And what's the point of you proving this point?" asks Chris.
Corey comes around and sits on the other side of the table and then says nervously, "Can you teach me? Because I'm strong and I'm fast but I don't have claws and fangs. All I can do is turn invisible. That day? When we were fighting the dullahan? I was on the roof but I couldn't help because I didn't know how to fight her. I tried to get the jump on her but I couldn't time it, she was moving too fast, but if I had a weapon or, knew how to fight, maybe I could have helped."
Argent took in the boy's words and then said, "You want me to teach you how to fight."
Corey nodded. "Will, will you teach me? I, I, know the last person you taught was Allison and if you can't or don't want to I'd understand."
Chris looks away at the mention of her name but then he smiles softly. "If Allison were here, she'd probably teach you herself," he says. He looks up at the boy. "Do you know what you're asking? It's not going to be easy. It's not going to be fun and the fact that you can heal just means I'm going to make it harder for you. This isn't like lacrosse practice. That's a game. This, training, it's not a game and it's never going to be a game."
Corey swallows hard but then says. "I'm tired of being useless. I'm tired of just hiding. These are my friends and I want to help them. I can't just stand back and watch them get hurt." he swallows again and said, "If, If I could have fought, maybe, maybe I could have stopped the dullahan from killing Lenny instead of just...watching." He looks up at Chris, "I don't want to be just an observer and I don't want to be afraid anymore. I don't want to be a coward. Will you teach me?"
Argent looks at him and then nods slowly. "I'll teach you."
Corey is pretty glad he can heal. Of course he still feels tired but the aches and pains are mostly gone because he can heal. He's glad for another reason too. Chris Argent doesn't take it easy on him. Conditioning is brutal. The hunter doesn't hesitate to slash him open with knives or shoot him with arrows. It sends his pain threshold up and speeds up the learning process. Stopping someone from slashing you open is a pretty decent motivator.
His healing factor also lets him learn how to handle weapons better. He doesn't start off with blunted knives. He starts with the real things, slices his fingers six different way in ten minutes but he learns with the real weight of the blade.
"You can turn invisible," said Argent, "Which is a great assent to any fight you're in. People definitely find it difficult to fight what they can't see. Add weapons to the mix and you're deadly. But, you have to learn to move properly."
"What do you mean?" asked Corey.
"Go invisible," Argent told him. "And try to attack me."
Corey complied and found himself face down on the concrete. "Ugh!"
"You're too loud," Argent said. "Your sneakers told be where you were and gave me a decent idea of how you might be standing."
"How do I move softer?" Corey said sitting up. Argent smiled.
Two hours later Corey was regretting he ever asked. He was currently standing with one foot extended as he slowly tried to put his foot down on the sea of crunchy leaves without making a sound. Argent was standing outside the scattered leaves with a crossbow in hand. Corey had already gotten two arrows shot through him. Chameleon invisibility meant that he simply blended in with those before he pulled them out but it hurt.
"You're thinking too much," said Argent. "If you don't move soon, I'm gonna start shooting in a line. Pretty sure I'll hit you eventually."
Corey grimaced and stepped.
"Chinese ring daggers?" Corey said as they went through Argent's arsenal. They were trying to find a couple of weapons that he could specialize in.
"Yes," said Argent. "They can give you a greater variability of attack than the average knife but they're not for everyone."
Corey lifted the dagger anyway, hooking his finger through the ring and holding it. It fit snug against his palm. It was short,sleek but deadly. It probably wasn't going to be his favourite weapon but something about it felt like home.
"I think I'd like to learn," he said.
"I don't think the traditional bow suits me very well," said Corey as he pulled back on the draw string. Argent who was looking at him with a pained expression said, "I don't think so either."
The bolt bolt flew true and smacked into the target. Corey grinned as he lowered the crossbow.
"This is much better," he said.
"Much," agreed Argent but he was smiling too.
"Teach me how to use that," Corey wheezed from where his lung was healing a puncture to it.
Argent held out a hand and pulled Corey up. "That's not the usual response people have to being shredded by a whip chain."
"It's beautiful," Corey said and Argent huffed with quiet laughter.
It was slow going. Corey wasn't the most coordinated of people and it took him some time to stop running when Argent was attacking him and instead learn to stop and defend himself but he was getting there. Slowly but definitely getting there.
It had gotten into his blood now. He loved being able to swing a ring dagger around his finger, grab and slash with it in one smooth motion. He loved the recoil of a crossbow, the tensing of his muscles as he held it steady as it rattled from the release of the bolt. He loved the way the whip chain carved through the air and loved that he was learning how to move with it. He loved learning how to move in his environment, how to pick up those subtle little clues that told you someone was near. Hr loved the ache in tired muscles. He loved not being defenseless.
He wasn't a true fighter by any definition. He didn't love it the way Liam and Theo did, didn't have that passion for the fight and the fight alone. His love was a little more clinical than that but tied into his sense of self just as strongly. He was not a fighter but he could and would fight if necessary and that was enough.
Review and tell me what you think!
Have a nice day/night!
