It's not my best chapter but I hope you all enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.
Pack study nights weren't overly frequent things. For one, Liam and the others all had their own school work and various other extra curricular activities that took up their time, for another, a good few of the participants had to work and it wasn't always easy coordinating shifts. But the one or two times a month when they all managed to find time in their schedules, they had their pack study night.
Pack study nights were for those who really didn't know a lot about the world they now lived in. Liam definitely fell into that category and while the others may have had knowledge in specific areas, they didn't have the general knowledge they needed for felt they might need in the future. So pack study night was born and was usually attended by everyone save Chris Argent and the Sheriff who really had his hands full.
Melissa couldn't come as much as she liked because she was usually tired after her shifts and really, really needed the sleep but she did make it as much as she could but Parrish was a regular attendee.
This particular pack night they were finally finishing up the native american preternatural creatures, a group which Liam had been surprised to discover that the Anuk-ite came from. In fact a whole lot of the native american creatures were really scary and he really hoped they didn't actually run into any more of them.
They were halfway through study night, making notes on walkers, and drinking coffee when Corey said to Parrish, "Do you ever get tired of people calling you by your last name?"
There was a pause and Parrish turned to find the rest of them looking expectantly at him.
"Not really," he said, "I guess I'm used to it. In the army we mostly called each other by our last names and the same goes for working as a deputy."
"So you prefer it?" asked Corey. "Because honestly the only person I've ever heard call you Jordan, was Lydia."
Parrish shrugged. "I never really thought about it actually. I don't mind being called by my first name either."
"So you don't mind if we call you Jordan," said Mason.
"No," said Parrish, "Unless I'm on duty."
"Oh good," said Mason, "Because it was kinda weird? I don't know to explain it."
"It's a pack thing," said Theo. "It was a bit of a barrier because they weren't comfortable enough with you."
Parrish frowned, "But you all call Argent, Argent."
"Yeah but he's Argent," said Liam. "He's older than us."
"A lot older," added Mason.
"And you spend more time with us," said Corey. "So probably that's why."
"Huh, said Parrish. "Pack stuff is kinda weird."
Liam snorted. "You don't know weird until you're someone's beta. It's not bad," he added when Parrish lifted a questioning eyebrow, "But it's still strange at first. It's like gaining a parent, a brother and a friend all at once, in one person."
"That is a little weird," said Corey. "I mean, I feel it too but...it's not as strong?"
"Probably because you're not a wolf," said Theo. "You'll notice Malia isn't like Liam either, even though she's technically a beta under Scott. It's because she's a coyote."
"You're part coyote too right?" said Mason.
Theo nodded.
"Wait, really?" said Parrish.
"You didn't know?" asked Theo and huffed a laugh when Parrish shook his head. "Yeah I am."
"He can actually do a full shift to both wolf and coyote," said Liam.
"Why can't you?" asked Parrish.
"Because it takes a lot of power to do it," said Liam. "Technically I could learn but it also take a lot of control. The Hales could do it because power runs in their family. Malia, Derek, Talia, even Peter when he was alpha was a lot more wolfman than a typical werewolf. It's not so common otherwise."
"Do you think the hellhound has another shape?" asked Corey. "Like a full shift?"
Parrish blinked. "I don't know. I've never tried. Honestly I'm not sure I want to. Can I get stuck that way?"
"Probably," said Theo. "First time I shifted I spent three days trying to figure out how to get out of it."
They all blinked at him.
"I think I'll leave that for another time," Parrish said diplomatically.
"Yup," said Mason, "Back to study time guys."
"Why are you even here?" asked Theo. "Don't you know all of this already?"
"Some of it," said Mason, "I know some of it. I only read the bestiary. I'm trying to add notes so if something turns up that's not in the bestiary under its particular entry, we'll have a heads up."
"You're improving the bestiary?" said Liam.
"Uh...yes? I wouldn't say improving really…." Mason began and then cut off as Liam shook his head. "What?" When Liam didn't answer he turned to Corey. "What?" Corey just grinned at him.
"You're incredible," he said.
"It's just notes.." said Mason.
"It's notes on the bestiary," Parrish put in.
"Not you too," said Mason.
Liam laughed and said, "Back to walkers guys," to save his friend from his obvious embarrassment.
"Yes," said Mason loudly, "Back to walkers."
Sometimes though Argent or Deaton would come to their study nights to teach them stuff and once they had Lydia on Skype when they went through the section on banshees. Mason was creating new and more detailed entries for the bestiary in that section.
When they got to werewolves they called Jackson and Ethan for help in figuring out how packs were structured in London and if it was any different. Jackson rolled his eyes the whole time but Ethan was helpful.
The sheriff did join them on the rare occasion even though he didn't do any studying. He just sort of closed his eyes and soaked up their chatter. Liam thinks he probably feels strange not having Stiles around with his constant conversation.
Theo chips in every now and then with some rare creature or the other he had encountered while with the Dread Doctors. He hadn't seen a lot of the actual creatures but he had seen chimeras made from them and gave them what he knew.
Sometimes study nights were fun, almost like a party. They were best when the others joined them over skype or whatsapp. But other times? Other times Liam just really wants to sleep or do that pressing history essay. It doesn't help that Theo is snappy if he's had a hard day's work and Corey is cutting when he's worried about a particular class. Parrish too can be hard or distant when he's working on a murder or theft case and sometimes Melissa wants everyone to speak extremely softly because she's got a headache.
In short pack study nights aren't always easy. They've all got personalities that, while they work extremely well together, can also be difficult to mesh with when they're tired and cranky. But they stick it through because they're friends. They're pack. And when all's said and done, they don't actually want anyone else at their backs.
In case anyone is wondering, walkers are native american shapeshifters.
Have a nice day/night!