"Wow." Stiles said flatly. "I have never cared so little." The crowd of people around the standoff gaped.
Jackson's smug face faltered. "What."
"I said," Stiles repeated, "That I have never cared so little. I have more important things to deal with than you tonight." He turned at tried to walk away.
A hand on his backpack, held him back. Stiles sighed, spun on his heel, and punched him in the face. The resulting silence was so complete that the entire crowd could hear every word Stiles said.
As Jackson slid to the ground, landing at Stiles' feet, Stiles merely sighed again. "You'd think you'd learn Jackson. I don't care about you. I don't care about these games you play. There are exactly three people in this world who I actually care about, and as you like to bring up every single fucking day, one is dead." He bent down, looking in Jackson's eyes. "Leave me alone." He turned and strode from the scene.
Scott, suppressing a grin followed, "Dude!" He exclaimed. "That was badass."
Stiles chuckled, before frowning. "It was idiotic."
"Stiles." Scott suddenly looked hesitant. "Is what he said true?"
Stiles rubbed the bridge between his eyes. "Yeah." He didn't elaborate. What more was there to say? Jackson had just suddenly announced, as they were leaving school for the day, that Stiles was adopted and his mom had killed herself to get away from him. The other kids had heard Jackson say that his Mom's death was a suicide before but the adopted part was new. What was even worse, was that Jackson had somehow found the adoption papers. Tony had filed them. Thank the Gods he had filed them under a fake name, but still. It was a gross violation of privacy.
Stiles didn't even understand why Jackson suddenly brought it up. He had known for years that Stiles was adopted, and for him to suddenly tell the world was strange.
Scott looked hurt, "Why didn't you tell me?"
Stiles shot him a look, "Remember the last time I tried to tell you something serious?"
Scott suddenly looked sheepish. Saying it hadn't gone well the last time was a gross understatement. The both of them had faltered in their friendship for days after.
A police cruiser pulled up in front of the school. "Stiles." His Dad rolled down the windows. "I heard about what happened?"
Stiles groaned.
"That kid- Jackson- pulled the adoption papers, didn't he?"
Blinking in surprise, because he had thought that his Dad knew about the fight, Stiles nodded.
"I thought as much." He sighed. "Come on kid. We have to talk to-" He paused.
"Mr. Stilinski! Mr. Stilinski!"
Stiles paled, before throwing himself into the cruiser.
"Stiles?" John said, titling his head towards the teacher who was running to the car. "Wanna tell me about that?"
"No, nope, not at all." Stiles said, sliding down the seat. "Any way I could convince you to leave the scene of the-" He cut himself off, hoping his Dad wouldn't notice.
"Crime?" John finished, looking less than pleased.
"Mr. Stilinski." The gym teacher, Mr. Barney, panted, leaning against the cruiser door. "I'm going to have to ask you to come inside." He glanced around, noticing Scott as well. "You too, Mr. McCall."
"What? Why?" Scott blurted out.
"Well," Mr. Barney said. "For one, the bell hasn't rung and school is still in session."
Stiles stared. "Are you for real? You're the one who let us go early!"
Mr. Barney glared at him, as John sighed, "Stiles you can't speak to teachers like that."
"Well yeah," Stiles retorted, "I don't speak to real teachers like that."
Scott winced as Mr. Barney's glare got even frostier, "Mr. Stilinski. Detention. Now."
Stiles gaped at him. "For real?"
Mr. Barney arched an eyebrow. "Did it look like I was joking?"
John scrubbed a hand down his face. "I'll be back here in an hour to pick you up. Scott," he said, turning to the other boy. "Do you need a ride to your mother's?"
Scott opened his mouth to answer but was cut off.
"I'm sorry, but Mr. McCall here also has a detention."
"What?!" Scott and Stiles' voices rose in shock.
"Scott didn't do-"
"I swear it wasn't me-"
"-If anyone should get in trouble it should-"
"-My mom is gonna freak, are you-"
"-So unfair!" They finished together.
Mr. Barney just pointed back at the school. Groaning, Stiles threw himself out of the cruiser. "Come on Scotty boy, welcome to the world of detention." He slung his arm around Scott's shoulders. Mr. Barney turned and began to follow them.
"Now, just why did Scott need a detention?"
Mr. Barney froze before spinning back to John. "Well, you see…" He trailed off scrambling for an excuse before narrowing his eyes. "I don't see how that's any of your business Mr.…?"
John smiled. "It's Sheriff actually. Sheriff Stilinski." Mr. Barney paled. "Now, Mr. Barney, right? I want to know why you sent Mr. McCall back for detention. See his mother works in the hospital and she's a very busy and important woman. I just was going to let her know that you decided her asthmatic son needed a detention with the gym teacher because…?"
Mr. Barney gaped at him.
John arched an eyebrow, "Mmhmm. Well go on then. I'll be back here in an hour." Mr. Barney turned to go. "Oh, and I'll be sure to inform Melissa that you let him go early only to decide he needed a detention after speaking with the Sheriff." Mr. Barney shuddered and marched into the school.
John smiled to himself before making a bet. Three minutes or I'm going in there, he thought.
Two minutes and 17 seconds later, both boys tumbled out of the middle school. They raced to the cruiser, throwing themselves in the back.
"Dude," Scott gasped, fumbling for his inhaler.
"I know!" Stiles crowed, pressing it into Scott's hand. "Dad, did you say something to Mr. Barney?"
John made eye contact with Stiles in the rearview mirror and winked. "I may have… persuaded him to see another side of things."
"Badass!" Stiles said, beaming at John. "I have the best Dad!"
Scott snorted, nodding his head enthusiastically.
John rolled his eyes, before pulling out into the flow of the cars. "So, Stiles," he began, "What was it that you did?"
Stiles froze. "Uhhh… nothing, Dad?"
John arched an eyebrow at him, "Do you really think I'm going to believe that, Stiles? I haven't believed that since you were able to talk."
Beside Stiles, Scott was laughing so hard, he was gasping. Stiles pushed the inhaler back into his mouth. "Dad…" He paused, glancing at Scott. "Later?"
John nodded. "I'm holding you to that." He eyed Scott in the rearview mirror. "So do you need a ride to your house Scott?"
"He was going to come over until like 8 and stay for dinner." Stiles answered for him.
"If that's okay, of course?" Scott added.
"You're always welcome to our house, Scott."
Scott beamed. "Best Dad ever." He echoed. John smiled at both of them as they head for their house. The two bickered good naturedly over schoolwork as they drove.
Arriving at the house, they both jumped out, slamming the doors. Scott headed in, completely comfortable. Stiles paused, hanging back to see if his Dad got out of the cruiser. When John reached for the door handle, Stiles grinned.
"You're not patrolling tonight?" He asked, already plotting a healthy dinner.
John shook his head. "Not tonight. I'll have a double tomorrow but I thought it would be a good trade, as I haven't had dinner with you this week yet." Since overhearing the conversation between Annabeth and Stiles, John had kept his vow. He was home more, he didn't drink, and he ate dinner with Stiles at least once a week. He would prefer if he could eat with him more but being the Sheriff often meant longer hours. It was a sacrifice they both were willing to make for a safer town.
Stiles smirked. "I hope you like kale." He turned and headed into the house, leaving John staring after him.
"Kale?" He mouthed to himself as he grabbed files from his passenger seat. He shook his head. He would never understand Stiles' need for healthy food.
In the kitchen, Scott had spread all of his homework over the table. He was humming to himself as he attempted to do math homework. Stiles was tapping along as he set out all of his school work. John shook his head in fondness.
"Call me when dinner is ready."
"Sure thing, Dad," Stiles said absently, already absorbed into his pre-calculus assignment. John headed to his study, briefly pausing to shake out his aches. The boys worked steadily in the kitchen until Stiles glanced up and realized it was 4:30.
"Shit." He hissed, scrambling up from his sprawl across the kitchen floor.
Scott raised his head blearily from where he had slumped over his English homework. "Whatzit?"
Stiles stifled a snort, "Nothing, Scotty, I just gotta get dinner started." Scott nodded, thumping his head back on the table. Stiles rolled his eyes at Scotts dramatics before heading to the fridge. He was actually pretty excited for tonight's dinner as he had put a lot of thought into it. It was going to be one of his more challenging endeavors. Well, he acknowledged, part of it would be challenging, the rest was old news. Grinning to himself, he got to work.
Unknown to Stiles, Scott had raised his head and was propped up on his arms. He smiled at the controlled chaos that was erupting in the kitchen. Stiles was in his element here, able to create a whirlwind of ideas and experiments and try them out.
The moments passed between the two of them, Stiles continually proving his prowess in the kitchen as Scott watched and occasionally did a math problem.
"Smells good," John said, standing in the doorway an hour later.
"Oh!" Stiles startled. "We're almost done, I was gonna call you in five minutes."
John quirked an eyebrow at Scott, "We?"
"I just did math homework." Scott shrugged. "I can't cook."
Stiles snorted under his breath, "Understatement."
John rolled his eyes as the two bickered good-naturedly. He meandered further into the kitchen, clearing up the table. Scott helped as he argued and Stiles began plating things for dinner. The three of them worked together perfectly, the ritual of dinner long since established. As the last plate of food hit the table, Scott sighed. Stiles punched the air, taking it as a sign of winning the argument.
"Yeah, that's what I thought, Scotty boy!"
John rolled his eyes, "Stiles, inside voices at the dinner table."
Scott laughed and Stiles scowled in his direction. "For that, you're getting double the kale chips."
"Kale chips? Bleh!" Scott winced behind Stiles' back, plastering on an innocent look when Stiles turned around menacingly. "I mean… can't wait?"
Stiles shook a fork in his direction. "That's what I thought you meant." He continued serving everyone before using his best chef voice. "For tonight we have honey mustard chicken, kale chips, and a watermelon salad."
Scott obligingly burst into applause, with John following mere second behind. "Thank you, thank you," Stiles took a bow and stretched his arms out, attempting to curtsy. Instead he spun, and knocked his empty glass, Scott's plate, and the kale chips all over Scott.
"Hey!" Scott yelled, giggling slightly. "Watch it!"
Stiles paused in his attempts, frowning at the kale chips scattered around the floor. John patted him on the back. "Better luck next time."
"The kale chips?" Stiles asked sitting down and ignoring the mess he made, "Or the curtsy?"
"Both I supposed." The two turned to watch Scott. He had somehow caught his plate and set in back on the table but the way the kale chips had fallen had covered all his food. He was making faces as he picked them off. Stiles shook his head, going back to eating.
The table was quiet after that, with occasional murmurs and the clinking of utensils. Stiles basked in the feelings of a job well done and the warmth that came from family. The only thing that could make him feel better would be if Annabeth had been there.
They slowly rose from the table, one at a time, gradually cleaning it off. Stiles and Scott snagged a fudgsicle and move to the living room to play Mario Kart. John joined them after finishing up the cleaning in the kitchen. A few hours passed with the three of them in the living room before John rose.
"Scott, am I driving you home?"
Scott looked down at his phone, "No, my mom just sent me a text, she'll be here any minute now." At that moment, a knock sounded at the door. John headed to answer it, leaving the two boys alone.
"Stiles?" Scott asked.
"Yeah?"
"Are you sure you're okay about what happened at school today?"
"Yeah, Scotty." Stiles sighed. "Don't worry about it."
Mrs. McCall entered the room, talking with John. She sent a smile at the boys before finishing her conversation. "So Scott, ready to go?"
"Sure thing!"
Scott leapt up, heading to the kitchen to grab his stuff. "But Dadddddddd." Stiles whined. "We barely hung out at all today."
John and Melissa exchanged a look. "Stiles you two have been together for about six hours." He said.
"And," Melissa chimed in. "That's not including school."
Stiles pouted. "Ughhhhh."
Scott bounced out of the kitchen. "Ready to go!"
"Scott, stop being so cheerful about leaving me." Stiles grumbled.
Scott flashed him a grin, "Sorry Stiles. Mom's been working swing this week and I haven't talked to her yet!"
"Alright, go," Stiles sighed. "Later Scotty boy."
"I'll walk you out," John offered.
Melissa smiled at him. "That would be lovely. Thank you."
As John left the room to show the McCall's out, Stiles began shutting off all the consoles and the cleaning up the living room. He knew what was coming, and he wasn't looking forward to this talk with his Dad.
"Alrighty then." John said as he came back into the house, locking up the door behind him. "What happened today?"
At his Dad's concerned look, the whole story came tumbling out of Stiles. How irritated he was to have Mom thrown in his face like that, how upset Jackson's accusations make him, how he couldn't take it when he threw his adoption in his face. The fight. John sighed throughout the story but made no move to interrupt until Stiles had finished.
"Okay." John began. "Well here's what I think." Stiles made to interrupt him and John held up a hand, halting him. "While I don't fully approve of your methods, I know that you've been stretched a little thin lately, and so long as Jackson doesn't report you, I'm not going to." He ignored Stiles punching the air. "With that being said, I am going to enroll you in self-defense, even though I know Annabeth teaches you sometimes. You need a comprehensive training, not bits and pieces, understand?" Stiles nodded. John patted him on the back and tugged him into a hug. "Now, go on upstairs and fill Annabeth in, okay?"
Stiles grinned at him. Yelling, "Best Dad Ever!", as he headed up the stairs.
John rubbed the bridge of his nose before heading over to the fridge. Pinned to the door was Tony's number. There was no description but ever since Stiles and Annabeth could read, they had known that that number was only to be used in emergencies. John took a deep breath before dialing the number. It rang once before Tony answered.
"What happened?"
"Jackson pulled the files on the adoption and told the entire school."
Tony's breath hissed out between his teeth. "That little shit."
John nodded his head, before continuing. "Stiles doesn't seem to want to press charges but do you want me to file on your behalf?"
The silence that met his question, answered it. "I'm sorry I can't do more."
Tony sighed roughly in response. "I don't… it's just… ugh!" In the background, John could hear the whirring of engines. Something shattered in response to whatever Tony had just thrown. "I just want to protect them. Both of them."
John chuckled. "Welcome to being the oldest." Something else shattered in the background in response to his words.
"Tell me about them?" Tony pleaded. "Obie's been… more aggressive than usual and I need to take my mind of this."
John agreed, "This year alone, they both have gotten…"
As John rambled on down below, with Tony clinging to every word like it was curing him, Stiles rambled on above, filling Annabeth in on all his woes. Above both of them, worlds above, through the clouds, Athena kept watch.
"What do you want?" She snarled at the God who had just appeared next to her.
"Peace, niece." Hestia answered, smiling at the look of shock on Athena's face. "I merely came to see the two who may cause me trouble more so than anyone else."
"I didn't mean…" Athena began, halting when Hestia held up a hand.
She laughed quietly. "I know, Athena. I don't hold your words of fear against you."
The two Goddesses watched the demigods in silence for a moment, before Hestia sighed. "It's a shame that their destiny is foretold." Athena kept quiet and let Hestia speak. Rarely was she so open with her thoughts. "I will miss their warmth."
Athena faltered for a moment. "Miss their warmth?"
"Yes." Hestia nodded. "They both are full of the warmth and heat of family and love. Aphrodite has set them up to always have each other." Athena made a face and Hestia laughed again. "They will always have each other to rely on."
The two fell silent once more, both reflecting on each other's words and studying the household below. The peaceful night stretched out before them, all of them, bringing neither the closure they desired or the answers they sought.
