AN: I do not own Teen Wolf, I only created the plot and original OC's
George was on time, as usual, to pick him up at their usual spot behind his apartment complex, and, as usual, he was the perfect image of manners and unruffled tranquility. What immediately set Stiles off, warning him that maybe he shouldn't have procrastinated handling his family drama, was the fact that George wasn't dressed in casual clothes, he was wear a crisp suit. And to make it worse, he wasn't driving the town car, the simple but still elegant Rolls Royce with blackout windows in the back, but instead he was driving the limo.
When George got out and opened the door, Stiles couldn't say he was surprised to find a vaguely familiar man already sitting in the back. Classically handsome, with thick dark hair, wide shoulders, and steel grey eyes, Stiles' Uncle Devin was just as impressive as the car he was sat in. His grandfathers heir, he was in his late forties, and didn't look a day over thirty five, with two children, Sam and Kevin, both in their early twenties. Stiles knew Sam better than he knew Kevin, and that wasn't saying much. They had exchanged Christmas cards, and a couple skype calls, after his moms death. Stiles still didn't know how Sam had found out, but through Sam Stiles had talked to Kevin, and his cousins Darcy and Andrew, but most his contact remained with Sam.
Which meant he knew exactly how powerful her father was, and why he had been lucky to have avoided meeting him up until this point.
Guess his luck had run out.
Even without his inheritance, Devin had made a comfortable fortune by the time he was in his mid twenties, and was an experienced politician and investor. So, why was he picking up Stiles, and how did Stiles plan to come out of this meeting in one piece, with most of his life undisturbed?
"Mieczyslaw. Don't just stand there, please, get in" Devin smiled, his teeth shining, and Stiles felt under dressed in his crisp slacks and button up as he got into the car.
"You must be Devin" Stiles said as he settled across from his uncle, refusing to be cowed.
"Yes, I am. Sam told you about me? All good things I hope" He laughed softly, and Stiles forced himself not to tense, his magic burning under his skin.
"We don't talk much, mostly about her travels, the best places in New York, her school years or pop culture" Stiles shrugged, and Devin studied him carefully.
"You look so much like Claudia" Devin declared, and, unlike with George, he did not look all that happy about this fact. Actually, he looked quite bitter, like he was looking at a distorted view of the person he hated most, but at the same time, someone he loved. Those wounds did tend to cut the deepest, maybe finally Stiles could find out what his mom did to piss off her family so much.
"Well, I did get half her genes, it was bound to happen" Stiles said drily, and Devin's eyes tightened as he looked at Stiles, a sharp smile twisting his lips.
"Ah, yes. Claudia and her police officer, John, was it? What does he think about you being so far from home? I bet he misses you" Devin mused, and Stiles barely held his magic from lashing out, but he couldn't contain a small flinch.
"What exactly do you want? Is this about me giving the money back? Because I already explained why I did it to grandfather, I don't feel comfortable being indebt to family" Stiles scowled, and Devin looked him over assessing.
"My father told me you were a minor artist, but he's never seen any of your work. I imagine my mother was not at all happy with you slipping your leash, she had quite hoped to control you better than she did your mother" Devin mused, and Stiles fists tightened by his thighs.
"I am perfectly capable of providing for myself. The art... Its a release, unlike anything else I've ever felt, but I never thought I was good enough to pursue it until recently" Stiles admitted, and Devin's face softened slightly.
"Claudia was a great artist, but she always gravitated towards drawing, and never branched out or explored her talent. A waste, if you ask me, but she never did. What do you prefer?" Devin asked, leaning back in his seat, and Stiles began to pick at his cuticles.
"I started with drawing, it was always the easiest, but I've found I get lost deeper the dirtier I get, paintings or sculpting... Those are the ones that are harder to let go of" Stiles admitted, and Devin looked out the window as they passed rows of murals and street art.
"You think this is something you want to do with your life? Or is it just a hobby?" Devin asked, and Stiles opened his mouth to answer, but found he didn't know.
Could he see himself doing art for the rest of his life, pouring his heart and soul into these pieces, only to sell them away? His first two pieces had been simple, the first was just a portrait of Derek, the part that tore him apart had been seeing the life in those eyes starring back at him, and having it only be a drawing. It had made Stiles ache to return, to look into those hazel green eyes and have them stare back at him. The second piece had been both intimate and distant, because to outsiders it just looked like two people having sex, both broken people, one with scars, and one with demons, and yet for Stiles... He remembered how he'd felt in that moment, and it was jarring, realizing that someone could look at this and not know how he had felt. It wasn't even a modesty issue, none off his art showed the naughty bits, and normally Stiles kept them both mostly undefined, so it wasn't an issue of him being shy... Could he continue giving away these pieces of himself, again and again, for the rest of his life?
"I don't know… I think I'll attend University, figure out my life, and then I'll go from there" Stiles said, and some of the tension Devin had been holding melted away, and the next smile he received seemed much more genuine.
"Sirs? We've arrived" George declared, his voice coming through the speaker, and Devin's eyes sharpened as he levelled Stiles with a stern look.
"If you want to truly be apart of this family, you need to follow certain wont always be easy, you will be placed under scrutiny, your every action picked apart, your eyes movement judged, but we are stronger together" Devin said, and Stiles met his eyes stubbornly.
"I wont be chased away, but I also wont be caged. If you deserve my loyalty, then you will have it unwaveringly, but i wont be anyone's victim again" Stiles said firmly, and Devin nodded in agreement, a shine of acceptance in his eyes, and then George was opening the door, and Stiles let Devin go first, still uncomfortable showing his back to the intimidating man.
Dinner was an extravagant affair, even by his grandparents standards. A seven course meal of perfectly prepared food, because everyone else was over twenty one most of them drank wine, while Stiles stuck to his iced water, and the conversation was generally light, each of them displaying perfect manners while Stiles struggled not to talk with his mouth full. Stiles mainly tried to watch what was doing, and observed the conversations around him. Devin had brought his wife, Alicia, with him, and she was the fire to his ice. She actually reminded Stiles a lot of Lydia, fiercely intelligent, beautiful and elegant, but with a wicked temper and terrifying glare.
Of course, Stiles figured Sam and Kevin would be there, their parents were, and Stiles grandparents knew Stiles was most familiar with Sam, despite Stiles having never said anything. However, he was surprised to see that Darcy and Andrew had also turned up, and without their parents. This didn't seem to surprise anyone else, and even after a few months of being around them, Stiles knew very little about his Uncle Thomas and Aunt Naomi. He knew they were Darcy and Andrew's parents, they did a lot of travelling, and Naomi and Alicia did not get along.
Despite feeling like a barbarian in the face of the entire family's innate grace and poise, the food was good, the good conversation's, and finally getting to know his family better, Stiles much would have preferred eating pizza on his couch, binge watching Criminal Minds with his friends. However, if he wanted to get to know his moms family, he was going to have to learn to function in their high society lifestyle. Plus, he was aware that his grandparents could make life all kinds of difficult for him, if they so chose, and he would really prefer to stay on their good side.
"So, Stiles, your attending Blackwood Prep, right? What classes are you taking?" Alicia asked, taking a delicate sip of her white wine, and Stiles resisted the urge to squirm under her sharp gaze. Somehow Alicia managed to unnerve him in a way Devin hadn't managed, and he wasn't sure how to feel about that. He'd known why he had to be careful around Devin, but Alicia was an unknown, he had no idea what she was capable of.
"Yes, I'm going into junior year, and I've already selected all of my classes before exams. I'm taking AP Math, AP English, AP Chemistry, AP Biology, AP Physics, World History, Economics, and Art" Stiles explained, leaning his shoulders back, and Alicia raised a graceful eyebrow at him.
"Those are some advanced classes, you obviously inherited your intellect from your father. What does he do, exactly, I've never had the pleasure of meeting Claudia's husband" Alicia smiled angelically, and Stiles felt his magic recoil, and it was only Stiles excellent control that the only outward sign of his anger was the slight flickering of the candles on the table, and the sharp smile on his face.
"My father was a cop, he has a Major in criminology from UCLA, and I believe he got his minor in religion. He hasn't left California since my mom passed away, and, considering none of you came to their wedding, or her funeral, I don't think there is a high possibility of a family reunion" Stiles said, his tone perfectly polite, even if his words weren't, and the tension between Stiles and Alicia could have been cut with a knife.
"Anyway," Stiles grandmother cleared her throat pointedly, her eyes like steel as she looked at Alicia, "Stile's most certainly takes after Claudia with his art. Apparently he's good enough to provide for himself in New York, though I've yet to see any of his work. Why don't we move this to the lounge?" Catherine smiled, gracefully rising to her feet, and everyone soon followed.
"So, how is your shoebox of an apartment?" Sam asked as she poloped down beside him on the couch.
"Cozy," Stiles shot her a fond smile "I really appreciated the recommendation. How you find the only apartment in New York less than $1000, i don't want to know. Plausable deniability and all" Stiles said, and Sam laughed loudly, making most the room look over.
"There's nothing illegal with what I did, rest assured, I simply called in a favor. The owner's girlfriend is an old high school friend, we were on the volleyball team together" Sam bumped his shoulder, and Stiles sighed.
"Does that mean my rent is going to triple if they break up? Because that would suck" Stiles grumbled, and Sam rolled her eyes.
"From what I hear, your not exactly short on cash" Sam gave him a dry look, and Stiles gave her an innocent smile back.
"I have a bit, but I'm trying to use it sparingly, since I don't know how much my next piece will make, or if I can actually part with any of my pieces" Stiles sighed, and Sam gave him a stern glare.
"Your mostly drawing your ex, aren't you? That is such a bad idea, Stiles you have no idea. If you want my advice, you should try drawing other stuff, a fruit bowl, the sunset, a damn coffee cup, just expand your repertoire, and maybe sell something that isn't emotionally scarring" Sam suggested, and Stiles thought about it, and resolved to try drawing other things, and maybe eventually he would be able to draw Derek without feeling like he was giving up a piece of himself.
Stiles hadn't really tried to create anything other than what his magic had directed, apparently his magic really enjoyed drawing Derek, so picking up a piece of charcoal, Stiles had to concentrate on suppressing his magic. He pictured shoving his magic as a river flowing through his body, and then he pulled all the water to a central point, behind his heart, and imagined incasing it on all sides with an immovable dam.
This time, there was no frenzied rush to pour his heart and soul into his art, he felt relaxed and calm as he began a rough sketch of the fruit bowl on his counter. After he was done, he pulled back, and seen it was a nice piece, he'd done rather well and he imaged Madame Brianna would definitely give him an A, but he didn't feel drained. He felt lighter, his fingers tingled and he felt proud of his work, but it wasn't all encompassing.
For the next several hours, Stiles drew at random, he wanted to explore his art in a way he had never done before. He drew the school, his empty coffee cup on his coffee table, a stack of books beside it, and the Hale House. He drew his mom, her eyes shining with mischief, and her smile smile wide. He drew Louise, confident and dangerous, but kind, she carried an air of dramatic mysteriousness. He drew countless other people, places and things, and it was only when it grew too dark to see did he realize he had been drawing all day, he hands eaten anything, he'd barely drank anything besides coffee all day, his hands were blistered, his back ached, and yet he had never felt better.
He felt as if there was something inside him that had been healed, like a small part of him had been able to let go of his past and aceept his new life as his future.
Carefully stretching his sore body, Stiles looked around his tiny apartment, drawings, pencil, pencil crayon, chalk or charchol, all were scattered around him, covering every surface and wall, and giving him a sense of peace.
Stiles left them be, and he head for the kitchen, pulling out a carton of leftover Chinese food, he devoured it ravenously, and drank three glasses of water before stumbling to his bedroom and crashing into his bed, asleep within seconds.
Before Stiles knew it, the summer was coming to a close and Stiles and Louise were sitting down to decide which tattoo he would be getting next.
"We should do the stamina or durability rune. It's not too strong, and it connects to your conductor and speed rune. It'll complete the circuit, instead of leaving it open for tampering" Louise argued, and Stiles crossed his arms stubbornly.
"I think I should do the immunity rune. It's also connected to the conductor, and if I close the circuit before getting immunity, it won't be as strong. Plus, I'll get more use out of being immune to poisons than stamina. My stamina isn't that bad as it is" Stiles declared, and Louise gave him a salty glare.
"That's what you think" she grumbled, walking away,conceding to him ungracfully, her arms crossed as she walked away, and Stiles just rolled his eyes in frustration, and turned back to their sketches of his tattoos. Stiles was still researching all the factors within them, even months later, and he had firmly decrypted only a couple of them. What confused him was the three tattoos on his upper back, which weren't connected to anything, but looked like there was something missing about it. Another tattoo that his magic hadn't been ready to disclose, but would in time.
Another tattoo that confused him was the fox on the back of his neck. Because unlike the others, it wasn't made of complex Runes connected to form patterns of smooth curves, graceful lines, harsh twists and sharp corners. It was just a dark fox, bigger than normal, and crouched in a defensive position. Teeth gleaming, parts of the fur was darker with blood, and the only rune on the whole thing was a single gold rune on the centre of its forehead. Stiles had searched for it, but couldn't find anything on it, not even Louise or Rose had any idea what it meant, so Stiles was pretty sure that would be the last tattoo he was supposed to get.
"I'm gonna head out, I'll be back tomorrow to pick up the supplies before I head over to Cam's. I'm getting the Immunity, but I'll get Stamina next, I promise" Stiles said, and Louise sighed, but lost the tension in her shoulders.
"I'm sorry. It's just... Your so new to the craft, and your magic is still so raw, I just don't want you to regret anything. I know it's your body, and you should do what feels right, I just wanted to help guild you" Louise said apologetically, and Stiles wrapped her in a warm hug.
"I understand. Your my mentor, but this is something I have to do for myself, and no one else can tell me how to do this" Stiles said firmly, and Louise nodded. She didn't look happy about it, but it wasn't her choice to make, and Stiles knew she would respect that.
"Good luck, let me know how it goes" Louise said worriedly, and Stiles rolled his eyes. He knew she was worried about the tattoo, but it would be fine. The tattooing process for a strong immunity rune included trace amounts of hemlock, and if someone wasn't strong enough, it could easily kill someone. But Stiles was stubborn, and his magic was strong, so he had no reason to believe anything would go wrong. Louise was just being parinoid, he knew he would be fine. He could feel it in his magic.
The next day he went to Cam's house, and, as expected, things went smoothly. The tattoo ink was mixed, Cam gave him the usual warnings, some light flirting was done, and then Stiles stripped. Since the immunity rune wrapped around his upper thigh like a snake, curving over his hip to intertwine with his conductor rune, he had to take his pants and underwear off. Cam looked away, and when he turned back around, Stiles was on the table with the towel covering his junk but leaving his leg exposed as Cam got comfortable and began the tattooing process. Whatever minor mistakes he made could be corrected by Stiles magic, but Cam really was the best in the business. He had extensive rune knowledge, even if he had relatively weak magic, and was an amazing artist.
"Alright, your done" Cam said when he pulled back, Stiles had flipped to his stomach to Cam could do the back, and it wasn't the pain that had Stiles blushing hotly. Parts of the tattoo had spread up to cover the swell of his ass, and so Cam has to get pretty close, and Stiles hadn't felt this embarrassed since asking Lydia to the eighth grade dance.
"Okay" Stiles slowly sat up, walking over to the mirror, towel awkwardly hanging on him as he looked at the tattoo and summoned his magic to the surface. This time the ink flowed silver, Stiles was nearly knocked over by the unexpected power in his tattoos. The immunity Runes main job was immunity to poisons, but the more powerful ones would make Stiles immune to sickness, from small things like the flu, to much more serious things like cancer. It was rare for a immunity tattoo to be that powerful, but then again, most the time immunity Runes were the size of his palm, not spanning most of his thigh and hip.
"You okay?" Cam asked worriedly, reaching to steady him, and Stiles took a deep breath, which suddenly felt so much clearer and clean.
"I'm good. Just stronger than I had thought it would be" Stiles presses a hand to his forehead, his towel slipping slightly, and Cam's cheeks blushed lightly as he turned around and handed Stiles his pants and boxers, and Stiles face turned dark red as he pulled his underwear on, wincing as it pressed against the exposed tattoo. Just because his magic sealed the ink, didn't erase the fact he'd just spent hours being stabbed with needles. It would be sore for a few days before his magic finished healing it completely, and then it would be weeks before his magic could handle doing it again.
"Alright, Stiles, just take it easy for a few days" Cam said, clapping a hand onto Stiles shoulder, and stills pulled a stack of bills from his pocket, and handed them over.
By the time he got all his tattoos done, he wasn't going to have any money left from his tutoring and art sales. As soon as he turned eighteen in April, he could start using his moms life insurance money, but until then he had to keep his head down. He didn't want to take money from his grandparents, but between them and returning home? There was no question, he would have to take the money.
Stiles had worked so hard to build a life here, and he was still no here near ready to go home. Being in New York, learning magic, doing art, making friends and getting to know his family... It was good for him, it helped distract him, and gave him hope for a better future. He couldn't go back yet, he wasn't ready. Stiles hadn't bribed the landlord with almost everything he had to get into his apartment, he hadn't pulled every favor to his name, left his whole life behind, only to be dragged back to that hell hole of a town.
"Don't worry, my plans for the next few days involve Netflix, a couple ice packs and a giant tub of ice cream. I'll see you in six weeks, Cam" Stiles smiled, and Cam rolled his eyes fondly as Stiles turned, grabbing his bag on his way out the door.
Stiles was serious about taking it easy for the next couple days, which meant he was extremely unhappy about the hunter waiting for him in his apartment. The man was huge, a mountain of muscle and aggression that could only come from steroids, with duzzed blonde hair, brown eyes and currently accessorize with a lovely AK47.
Stiles barely had time to register that the man wasn't alone, and activate his wards, before something hard hit him across the temple, and then everything went dark.
