Scott screamed, sitting up in bed after another nightmare. The pack all got them he knew, how could they not with all that had happened? They all dealt with their grief in their own way and settled into old routines as best they could but they all had PTSD in some form and they dealt with that too.
Scott had seen Lydia jumping at loud noises at school and occasionally pausing when she walked passed Allison or Aiden's seats in class before quickly moving to her own. The empty seats in class and at the lunch table were some of the worst reminders at school though there were many. Like when a teacher accidently called their names out during the roll before remembering with a stuttered apology that they were gone. Hearing her name was almost physically painful for Scott and the others, chests crushed with yet another reminder of everything they were trying to move past.
Scott knew it was hard for Kira too because after all she was new to all of this, to what she and her mother were and where her place was in the pack. She had yet to forgive her mother for bringing the Nogitsune and Oni in the first place. Scott knew Kira wanted to help them but she was still the new girl and she didn't know what they needed.
They had all missed School for two weeks after everything was finally over with Stiles missing almost a month before he came back. Scott knew his friend blamed himself for everything and that he remembered what he did which is why the boy wouldn't let anyone touch him for a while and hardly came out of his room. But none of the pack blamed him and they were still trying to convince him of that.
"how can you stand to look at me Scott? I stabbed you with a sword and twisted it I-"
"That wasn't you-" He tried to move closer to his best friend but it only made Stiles move further back with stumbling frantic steps.
"But it looked like me it had my voice and it used my hands! You should hate me! Lydia should hate me, my Dad should, and Chris and your Mom and Derek and-"
"But we don't. We hate the thing that did this to you, to all of us. So please Stiles just come here let me take your pain and help you sleep, you need it."
Stiles nodded guiltily as if he didn't deserve it and allowed Scott to take his shaking hands, drawing out the still lingering pain that was left as a gift from the nogitsune. Stiles had once admitted that he didn't want Scott to take his pain because he deserved it and he needed to be punished but Scott had only held him and said "We didn't deserve any of this and neither do you."
Once the pain began to ease Stiles' body gave out and he crumpled to the floor in exhaustion leaving Scott to carry him to bed and cover his friend in blankets that did little for his low temperature.
Stiles had the most to deal with in the aftermath and they were all still worried about him. The Sheriff had kept the cameras in the house and took away anything that might set his son off in a panic attack, flash back or sleep stupor determined to 'make things right'. So the windows were bolted and the cameras stayed and all the sharp and dangerous things in the house were silently locked away. The sheriff left his gun at the station when he came home and he tried to have someone at the house with Stiles at all times which he had tried to be discreet about but his son knew. He hadn't complained though only reassured John that "I wouldn't do that Dad, I would make anyone go to another funeral because of me."
They all knew he wasn't sleeping though and the dinners that he left untouched worried his father further which he hated. So when Scott woke from a nightmare he went to check on the pack, slipping though their windows to calm them from nightmares, take their pain as they slept or to catch them out on not sleeping at all.
The alpha reached a hand over to his best friends arm to take his pain and pulled up the blankets to cover those thin shoulders too. But he felt the arm tense as he took the pain and he knew the human was not asleep.
"I know you're awake Stiles I can hear your heartbeat."
"You gave me a fright when you came through my window I thought it was bolted shut."
"Your Dad and I decided to have one of them unlock from the outside."
"So you could take my pain even though I told you I'm fine?"
"So I could make sure that your safe. This is the fifth night in a row you haven't slept and….. Stiles I talked to my mum she's with your Dad now in the kitchen-"
"Scott?"
"-She's just gonna give you a little something to help you sleep."
"Scott, no please don't. I can stay awake." The boy was crying now trying desperately to shake off the arms of his alpha that were holding him down. John and Melissa, having heard the noise, came into Stile's room and Melissa immediately began readying what she had brought from the hospital.
"SCOTT PLEASE DON'T! DAD TELL THEM PLEASE I CAN'T GOT TO SLEEP I HAVE TO STAY AWAKE!"
The pleading from his son was almost too much for the sheriff but he moved to his son and took his face in his hands in an attempt to calm him.
"Stiles, son it's alright you just need some sleep okay? You'll be safe here nothing bad is going to happen."
Melissa moved closer and tried to block out the desperate screams as she prepared to sedate the boy.
"Stiles, come on sweetie it's okay. Scott try to hold his arms still."
Stiles' exhausted body struggled with everything he had but could not break the alphas hold as Scott pinned him arms down to allow Melissa to inject the sedative. Thankfully it worked fast and the jerking limbs slackened and the crying stopped with a whimper and a sigh.
"He should be out for at least twelve hours. We can stay if you like John." The sheriff nodded and smoothed back his son's hair, kissing him on the forehead before taking Melissa to the spare bedroom where she could sleep for the night.
Scott looked down at the sleeping form on the bed and hated the bruises that were forming on his arms but he could at least relax for a while knowing that Stiles was getting some much needed rest.
The alpha settled down into the bed next to his brother and laid a hand on the others chest finding comfort in the rhythmic movement of Stiles' lungs pulling in air. He fell asleep knowing he was there should he need him and as long as his human was breathing, it would be okay.
