Piece number 6 in the AU series Pure Heroism.

The lyrics are from songs from Lorde's album Pure Heroine. I don't own them or the characters.

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Summary

"Because of the nogitsune," she answers directly, and then looks at him with a grave expression, as if coming to the decision that if he's so interested in hearing all the horrible details it's his problem. "Because I'm a kitsune, and we don't mix well."

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In which Kira is wistful and canny, and Scott loves her anyway. Liam is starting to get the full picture. (6 in the Pure Heroism series)

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The lyrics to this oneshot are from Lorde's song 400 Lux.

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400 Lux

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We're never done with killing time

Can I kill it with you?

'Til the veins run red and blue

We come around here all the time

Got a lot to not do, let me kill it with you

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Liam lets Kira smack him flat on the ground for the second time before he says, "So I assume you know. About the nogitsune."

It stops her short. She straightens, looking down at him with a blank expression and wide eyes, then sighs.

"You found out."

She says it as if she knows the lake-house trio didn't actually decide to tell him but rather gave in after he had gone behind their backs and snooped around places he didn't belong in, and Liam ignores the guilty stab in his chest and scowls. "Eventually, yeah."

She inspects him quietly. "They had the right to keep this from you."

"I know!" he protests indignantly, then turns his head away in shame. "I know."

Kira is silent for a minute, and Liam is not brave enough to look at her and try to decipher her expression. Then her extended hand appears in front of him.

"Come on," she says, and helps him haul himself up to a sitting position. She then sits next to him and rests her katana on the ground, training session all but forgotten.

Or maybe not, because once they're settled she attacks him without warning, just not physically. "Is this why you've been avoiding them?"

Liam flails. "No! I mean, I'm not - I haven't!"

Kira gives him an unimpressed look and he stops before he embarrasses himself further. Okay, so he might have been avoiding the lake-house and its messed-up residents. But he feels justified - both Scott and Lydia were mad at him, probably still are, and Stiles - Stiles is - it's just too much.

He's keeping his distance, for now.

"How do you even know about that?" he blurts.

"It's been three days, Liam - did you think I wouldn't notice?"

"What - But - You're not even allowed at the lake house!"

It's the truth, as far as Liam knows, but he still immediately regrets the words. It feels like a low blow. Kira looks vaguely hurt.

"I'm still a part of the pack."

Which is another topic Liam just doesn't get - he's no expert in pack dynamics, still very much a newbie in the supernatural world, but he's pretty sure forbidding a member of a pack from approaching the center of said pack's activities is not the way to go.

And he's already barreling through every privacy barrier he's supposed to be respecting - why not one more?

"What's the deal with that, anyway? How come you're not allowed or whatever? It's supposed to be your pack, your -"

He manages to cut himself off before something mortifying like family can escape his mouth. Come on, Liam, you barely know these people for two weeks, act like it!

But Kira raises her eyebrow at him as if she can hear his thoughts. "Home? Friends?"

He's pretty sure his face is flushed red, but he makes himself nod. He realizes he's a little pissed on Kira's behalf - which is stupid, she's older than him and can obviously handle herself, but also not. She's one of the sweetest girls he knows; she shouldn't be treated this way.

Kira shakes her head and looks ahead, at the trees surrounding them. "It's okay, Liam. It's not the way you think it is."

But he can hear the subtle bitterness in her voice. "Then how is it? 'Cause it looks bad," he grouses.

"It's not their fault, trust me." She sighs. "It was actually my idea."

Liam blinks. "What?"

"I decided not to come near the lake-house," she clarifies. "Or anywhere else they decide to meet at. They update me later if anything noteworthy happens."

"Why?"

"Because of the nogitsune," she answers directly, and then looks at him with a grave expression, as if coming to the decision that if he's so interested in hearing all the horrible details it's his problem. "Because I'm a kitsune, and we don't mix well."

Liam swallows. He's so tired of all of these terrible revelations, bad news on top of bad news - and yet he finds himself asking, as if he can't stop anymore - "Why?"

"Because we're two sides of the same coin," she says tiredly, like she's been saying it too many times. "Because my mother has a history with this demon and I inherited it by succeeding her. Because every time I get too close to Stiles the nogitsune senses it, and goes berserk in his head. And that's dangerous."

Liam remembers when Kira came to pick him up from the lake-house a few days ago, the panicked retreat they had to make. The volume of Stiles's stereo system going higher, higher, higher the longer Kira stayed close. The absolute horror on Lydia's pale face as she urged them to drive away, or something bad would happen in exactly seventeen minutes.

"You're afraid it would take over Stiles because of you," Liam finally, finally understands.

Kira nods. "I can't do that to Stiles. I can't do that to any of us. If the nogitsune breaks free…"

"Bye bye Stiles?" Liam asks, swallowing.

Kira shakes her head gravely. "Bye bye Beacon Hills."

Liam digests that for a while, staring at the peaceful preserve around him without really seeing it as he mulls over everything he's learned in the past few days. He waits until he's sure his voice would come out stable before breaking the silence to say, "So it's not the pack you're avoiding. Just Stiles."

Kira has her gaze trained on the treetops above them. "It's all of them, by extension. Stiles needs them - his dad wasn't handling the situation when he lived at home, and it became obvious we're gonna be in trouble if no one would take it upon themselves to keep him stable. Scott and Lydia have no competition in that area. I would only get in the way. So they hauled up in their little slice of heaven on the lake, and I have the rest of the town to myself."

She smirks, but it's weak, and Liam's heart aches for her. Her self-imposed exile has left her plenty of space for just herself, isolated from her friends.

She sees his expression and smiles, sobering. "It's not that bad, though. Scott has a hard time not going crazy at the separation tearing his pack, Lydia had to fight her mother tooth and nail for the rights on the lake-house. Stiles is dealing with the nogitsune twenty-four-seven. We all had to make our sacrifices; I got off easy."

Which leaves Liam wondering - what would be his sacrifice?

It seems they all faced tragedy one way or the other, by experiencing personal trauma or by relation to each others'. And Liam can't help but feel dreadful. Sooner or later it's going to be his turn.

A low rumble of an engine interrupts his dark musings. He lifts his head, ignoring Kira's curious glance as he stares at the direction of the noise - where a motorcycle soon appears. Liam blinks as it parks right in front of them and the familiar-smelling rider hops off of it.

Liam's eyes are wide. "Scott?"

His alpha lifts his helmet, revealing a worried expression beneath it. "Hey, Liam. Ready to talk?"

"What?" Liam gapes at him. "Wait, how did you even know I'm here?"

"I texted him our location," Kira admits from beside him, and Liam turns to stare at her. She returns his gaze, guilty but determined. "What? You've been avoiding them for too long. I thought you should talk."

"Thanks, Kira," Scott says, his voice suddenly much softer. Liam turns to stare at him and finds his alpha's eyes are now trained on the kitsune, tender in a way Liam has never seen before - despite Scott's ability to shamelessly exude warmth at everyone he likes. The expression on his face now is not as simply given. It's almost like a secret - belonging only between Scott and Kira, something Liam isn't supposed to be privy to.

He fights the urge to scratch at the back of his head. "Um."

Both their eyes snap to him. "The point is," Scott says, back to worried again, "we've been giving you space to come to terms with everything, but three days without a word is a bit… much."

Liam frowns. "Huh?"

Kira elbows him. "His alpha instincts went haywire."

Liam looks back at Scott. "Oh." Scott doesn't even try to deny it, just stares back at him with caring eyes, attentive. Liam swallows, suddenly overcome with the knowledge that somebody he knows all of two weeks is looking at him like that, like the world would be scorchingly lacking without him. In thrice the intensity Liam allows himself to feel. It's overwhelming.

But… in a good way.

"Sorry," he says, still cautious, even though Scott doesn't look like he'd get mad for the wrong answer. "I, uh, I just thought you guys wouldn't really want to see me."

He wants to wince because that sounds whining even to his own ears, but if anything, Scott's visible mix of sorrow and determination only seems to strengthen at the words.

"Well, we do," he says forcefully. "Or I do. Running alone gets boring."

Liam doesn't believe that for a second, but the sentiment is appreciated, even though he's still confused. "But weren't you mad at me?" he blurts, because he genuinely doesn't understand.

"Getting distant wouldn't solve the problem, though," Kira is the one to answer him softly, and Scott's eyes focus on her again as his expression melts back into that tenderness.

"Oh," Liam says eloquently, because it's so simple yet so true and it totally blindsides him - but neither of the two seniors seem to hear him. In fact, their mutual staring is getting so intense Liam can almost feel the pining.

And damn, after what Kira told him earlier? Totally justified. These two probably don't get much time to themselves in their current messed-up living arrangements.

Liam gets to his feet in a swift motion. "So. It's been fun. I'mma go home now."

Scott looks like tearing his eyes from Kira takes a physical toll from him. "Wait, so we're running together tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Liam smiles, then, because it's - not perfect, no, he's still wary of seeing Stiles and Lydia again - but it's better than before. A bit like their little pack, actually; flawed, but good. Concrete. Willing to change and evolve. "Yeah, I would love that."

Scott smiles back, and Kira makes a soft whooping sound. Liam salutes them before he turns around.

As he walks away he marvels at the feeling in his chest, as if the light of the setting sun was absorbed into it instead of disappearing.

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You drape your wrists over the steering wheel

Pulses can drive from here

We might be hollow, but we're brave

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Stay tuned, there will be more.

Hope you liked it :)