home is a fire
chapter five
Dinner is a weird affair, but it goes without any more emotional outbursts, so it's cool, for the most part. Sam actually does the dishes, because Stiles cooks, and Dean walks around the house, drawing a few symbols that they hope will work against angels for the time being, at least.
When he's done, he sits on the steps in front of the house again, staring at the street. Stiles is in his room, researching, and Sam is on the phone with Kevin, trying to see if they have anything back home that could be useful.
Suddenly, a shadow starts moving towards him and he fights the urge to shoot first when he sees it's one of the kids from Stiles' pack – Scott, if he's not mistaken.
"Hey" the kid greets with a small smile, and Dean thinks it makes him look a bit like a puppy – and also a whole lot younger.
"You keeping watch?" Dean asks back, and the kid shrugs, sitting by Dean on the steps.
"Not really. Peter has first watch, I just came by to see how things were going."
"Stiles is upstairs."
"Oh, I know. I can hear him on the phone with Lydia, and when they get into research mode I prefer not to be around, because they get so mean. It's like they hate each other, really. I don't like it."
Dean scoffs and keeps looking around, trying to find the Peter guy, but can't.
It kind of pisses him off that werewolves are so good at hiding.
"We didn't know anything about the Sheriff not being Stiles' real dad until, like, three months ago" the kid starts, looking ahead, "He got really pissed off at Jackson one day, because he was whining about being adopted, and Stiles just… burst it all out. He loves his dad more than anything in the world, he can't even think about losing him, he would do anything for him, really, and the Sheriff is the same" he makes a pause, looking at Dean, and the man pretends he doesn't see the teen struggling, as if deciding what to say, "I met Stiles at the hospital, when my mom got her job there, after my dad left us. I didn't really realize the reason Stiles spent so much time there was because his mom was sick, and I didn't understand why he suddenly stopped coming, or why I'd never see him around town that summer. When school started we found each other again, and he's been like my brother ever since. He's saved my life more times than I can count, he's saved Derek's too, way more than we have saved him, and he's amazing, because he's strong and smart, even if he's a bit of a jerk, but the one thing he could never lose is his dad."
"I'm not here to steal him away, kid. I would never do that."
"Good" he nods, as if conforming something, "His mom's death almost destroyed him and his dad. They are everything each other has, but Stiles has a way of always… having a bit more space for the weirdest people. He would never give up on me, and I've had my fair share of being a shitty friend. He learned to like Isaac, and he won Lydia over with his friendship, and even got Jackson to like him, and Peter is always saying Stiles is his favorite, even though Stiles actually helped us torch him to death once. There's always room in his heart, no matter what you've done, as long as you love him back, and show him that you care. I'm not saying you'll get to be his dad, because he has a dad, he doesn't really need another, but he'll care for you if you're worth it."
Dean stares at the kid for a second, incredulous. The teen just grins at him and gets into the house, clearly used to just wondering in at any time of day or night.
Truth is that Dean wants that. Not to replace Stiles' father, of course, he could never even hope to do that, but to get to know his kid, know what Stiles is like.
He just hopes that the kid is right, and Stiles will have room for him too.
X
John gets home a little after three and sighs heavily after closing the door. It's like the day just won't end, and he had believed they weren't having any more of those lately.
When he gets to the living room, he sees Dean there, looking at him with a scared kind of relief – he must have woken up when John unlocked the door, and is calm now that he realizes is just Stiles' dad and not an angel coming to kill… well, their kid.
Isn't that a weird thought?
"Everything okay after I left?" he asks in a quiet voice, even though chances are that Stiles is still awake and online.
The hunter nods briefly, and doesn't say anything, looking away from John, almost embarrassedly.
The Sheriff sighs and goes to the couch – it seems all he does these days is comfort the people Stiles brings into their lives.
Derek and Jackson, and even that girl Cora. That was an awkward conversation that had started out by her trying to threaten Stiles and ended with her crying on John's shoulder.
He really hopes this one won't end the same way.
"I'm sorry for what I said earlier today. I was feeling threatened, and I don't like that feeling very much – I'm a Sheriff, after all."
Dean just nods, staring at the carpet and John looks at the man, really looks at him – the tense way he holds himself at all times, as if he's waiting for an attack, the way his eyes look much, much older than his thirty something should. He's a survivor.
"You didn't have to be here at all. If you were the kind of person I accused you from being, you wouldn't have come to try and save my kid, especially because you didn't even know he existed. Stiles is a handful, always has been, and when Sarah passed away, if I didn't have him, I don't know what I would have done, because causing trouble and distracting me when I was starting to feel miserable seems to be what he does best. I'm not saying it'll be easy, or that it'll even happen, but I can see Stiles giving you a chance, if you want it" he pauses and looks at the window, tilting his head a bit, "He is, after all, dating a man he accused of murder. Twice."
Dean snorts at that, and John gets up, going upstairs to his room. He sees Dean laying down again, and hopes he's doing the right thing – which seems to be all he's doing these past few months. Hoping for the best.
When he gets to his room, there's another surprise there.
Stiles is sitting on his bed, wide awake, and twisting his hands as he's prone to do when he's so anxious about something that he can't put it into words.
John closes the door carefully, goes into his bathroom and changes into pajamas, brushes his teeth, cleans up and comes out again, sitting on the bed by his son.
"Out with it" he says, and Stiles snorts a small laugh.
"I don't think I can hate him" the kid says, and John sighs again. He's quite sure that neither he nor Sarah were this emotionally constipated.
"You don't have to hate him. You can feel however you want to feel about him."
"Yeah, but… He left mom. He left me."
"He didn't know you existed, and I think him leaving girls behind is a thing he did. Or does."
Stiles laughs again at that.
"You know, in the books, I was hoping he'd get together with Castiel. Now I think that's weird, because he's… you know, kind of my father? And I don't think I should be hoping he gets laid."
John laughs at that, shaking his head.
"I should hope not. Although, maybe he does need someone, apart from his brother. Someone who can ground him."
Stiles turns his head, and stares at him, unimpressed.
"Are you trying to nudge me into giving him a chance? Because you're not subtle at all, dad."
John shrugs a bit.
"As long as you don't get your hopes up that we'll be a couple, I'm good."
"God, dad, ew!"
"Look, son, I love you. You're everything to me. After all we've been through this past year, after everything that happened to us and around us, I'm glad we're at a place where we can be honest with each other again, where we can trust each other again. Where I can trust you, pack of werewolves and Alpha boyfriend and all. I'm not afraid I'll lose you to him because you're mine. You always will be. I'll always be your father, even if you let him into your life. It's your choice, but you have my complete support in whatever it is you choose to do."
Stiles twists around and hugs his dad tightly.
"Thanks, dad. I love you."
"I love you too" he mutters, and then pushes the kid away, "Now off to bed, because you should be sleeping."
Stiles smiles at him and goes.
He hopes he's doing the right thing.
X
"I have no news."
The announcement startles Dean awake and he looks up from the couch, where he spent the night, to find Stiles staring at him with an angry face.
"And I know they say no news is good news, except in this case it isn't, because no news means no information, and I'm afraid we are at a dead end here. There's nothing about angels in the Bestiary or anywhere else, for that matter, that could keep me hidden from them, if that's even what we want. The main problem is we don't even know what we have to do. What should we be looking for, I mean, we should be looking into what we can do to send these angels back to their home, and, if possible, keep them there indefinitely, but I have a feeling this is not our part in this mess – I mean, we have had our fair share of trouble here in Beacon Hills, but we're not quite up to save the world, yet. We're more at a save our skins stage still. What do you think?"
"What time is it?" the man asks, looking around, finding no sign of Sam.
"Seven. Dad's sleeping and Sam went out to get us some breakfast. Do you want some coffee?" he asks, going into the kitchen, and Dean gets up, rubs his eyes and follows.
What else can he do, anyway?
When he gets to the kitchen, Stiles hands him a mug full of coffee.
"Thanks."
The kid nods at him and fills up a mug for him too, sitting at the kitchen table.
Dean follows his lead and sits down too.
"Scott told me he talked to you last night. And knowing Scott, he probably made me out to be a Disney princess, which I am not. So I felt it was my… obligation to let you know that I don't know what I think about any of this. I've read the books on half your life, man, and you were my favorite character, but that's all you were, a character. I can't even say you are different than what I thought my biological father would be, because I've never pictured him. Not even when my dad and I went through a rougher patch, I never thought of him as anything else than the only dad I would ever have, and I don't know. This is weird – and I'm in a werewolf pack, so my standard for weird is pretty high."
"Well, my whole life is a pile of weird and I'm not doing any better."
Stiles stares at him, and Dean can't quite decipher the look he's being given.
"What do you want?" the kid asks, leaning forward a bit, and Dean arches an eyebrow at him.
"In life?!" he asks back, and Stiles shakes his head.
"No, out of this. What do you want? I mean, I know you said you only ever found out about me because you were looking into family that angels could come and hurt, and I've read enough about you to know that you would sacrifice yourself for anyone with your blood, but you have to know that you have no obligation towards me. You don't need to care about me, Dean. You can just… help us solve this mess, and forget all about it, you don't have to care."
"You mean you don't want me around" Dean shots back, leaning away from Stiles, his voice going a bit colder, because it shouldn't, but it does hurt.
"That's not what I meant. I just… Look, your life is complicated enough without the adding up of a son you didn't know you had, and who was clearly a mistake. I don't want you to want to get to know me just because you think you have to. If you want, we can talk, and we can get to know each other, and, well, you're never going to be my dad, but we can be… something. Friends first, probably. But you have to know that you don't have to. I don't want to be an obligation."
Dean takes a deep breath and looks around for a moment, trying to decide what to say – mainly because he spent half the night awake thinking about it.
He knows what he wants.
"Look, my dad was everything to me growing up. Even though I hate those damn books, if you read them, you know that. But he was… he was a crappy father, kid. Bobby's done more for me and Sam than our dad ever did, and he's gone now too. Sam is all I have, and don't think I don't know our relationship is a messed up one, because I know that, but without him, I have… no one. There's no more family left in any of our sides, and I know I can trust Charlie, and Garth, and Kevin, but they are not family."
"You left Castiel out" Stiles points out, and Dean snorts.
"That is a work in progress. But my point is that… I know I'm never going to get married to a hot blond and have two kids. I know I'm never going to settle down and have a beer watching the sunset while my kids play on the lawn. I'm not cut out for that. I'm a hunter. There's no place for a normal family in this, and I don't want it to be, because raising a child to be a hunter is the cruelest thing a father can do."
"Don't we know it" Stiles mutters, and Dean half smiles, even though he doesn't really get what made the kid think like that.
"And also, you have to know that I really had no idea Sarah was pregnant. I didn't leave because of it. I left because that's what we did. We stayed in town long enough for dad to finish his job, and we would keep on moving. I know it doesn't help my case any, but I was also really, really messed up when I was your age – even more than I am now, and hell, but I do have issues, and I know that. But I didn't know. You weren't planned, and I have a feeling Sarah's family isn't really a part of your life, but I don't regret knowing about you, and I want a chance to get to know you. You are… my blood, Stiles, even if we're not family yet. But I would like to try, if you give me a chance."
"Sarah's family thinks that I got her pregnant, and they hate me for it, because she was so bright, and smart, and had such potential, and ended up being my wife and Stiles' mom before anything else."
Both Dean and Stiles startle a bit, looking behind them to see the Sheriff getting into the kitchen, taking a seat beside Stiles on the table.
"When she got sick, they didn't come to see her, not even once. Her family had always been difficult, but it hurt, because it wasn't just Sarah, it was our son who was hurting too, and because of something that happened when she was a teen, they didn't even see their daughter pass away. We're short on family too, Dean, it's just the two of us, and, well, the pack, I guess. And you have to know that you will never be his father, because that's my job, but you're welcome to stay and get to know him, because Stiles deserves to know you."
"Thank you" Dean answers, and the Sheriff smirks a bit.
"Of course we'll have a lot of fun when Stiles tells you how he ended up in the pack, and how many times I had to stop one of my deputies from arresting him."
"That was once!" the kid protests, and Dean can't stop the smile, because he looks so indignant.
"That you know of. Honestly, Stiles, before Scott became a werewolf, I knew every single thing you were doing."
"You think you're funny, but you're really not."
"Why don't you tell Dean about the time you got a restraining order against you because you stole a Police car and kidnapped your classmate?"
"I was helping him! He was the Kanima, you now that, dad! Oh my God!"
"You could also tell him how I caught you at a gay club and you tried to convince me you were gay instead of telling me one of your friends was paralyzing and killing people."
"I am gay. Have you missed the tall, dark and broody that I call my boyfriend?"
"Not back then you weren't. You were still into Lydia."
"Let's not go there."
"Seven years" the Sheriff says, turning and staring at Dean, his face a mask of suffering, "For seven years this kid whines and complains about his love for Lydia Martin. I know more about Lydia Martin's hair than her hairdresser, and then one day just, poof, I'm in love with the Alpha Werewolf."
"It so wasn't like that" the kid mutters.
"Do you see what you're getting yourself into?" John asks Dean, and he has to smile.
"My kind of kid" he answers, and Stiles smiles at him, for the first time since he arrived.
And if he looks just right, he can see his own mom in that smile.
And he has to admit: it's one of the best feelings in the world.
X
When Sam gets to the house with breakfast from a small place he found down the street, Stiles is actually crying.
Because he's laughing so much.
He takes one look at Sam and laughs even harder.
The taller man puts the bags on the table and tilts his head to the side, curious.
"Okay, what did I miss?"
"Clowns" Dean answers with a smirk, and Stiles starts laughing again.
"Oh, man, you're like, a giant, and you're afraid of clowns. Bad ass hunter and… clowns" he keeps laughing, and Sam sighs deeply.
He should have known.
"They are weird, okay? I bet you were afraid of them too."
"I used to scare the clowns. There was one that refused to ever work at a party I was invited to, ever again."
Sam sits after washing his hands, and looks incredulous for a bit.
"Stiles' favorite movie when he was a kid was Addams Family Values. He and Sarah watched it a thousand times, and he would behave like Wednesday for days after every time they watched. Then, one weekend, there were two parties for two of his classmates, and both of them booked the same clown, and, well, it's quite creepy for a six year old to follow the clown around and keep telling him he's a psychopath, never smiling, insisting on wearing black, all that stuff. He creeped the man out so much, I actually think he went out of business and now works at a garage somewhere" the Sheriff explains, and Stiles smirks, satisfied.
"Of course," the man follows, "this story spread among the parents, and soon Stiles was suffering from a severe lack of party invitations."
Stiles' smile dies down a bit, but it's fonder now than before.
"And then, on my seventh birthday, mom made sure the whole party was Addams themed, and it was awesome. Lydia made for an amazing Morticia even back then." He turns to Sam, and smiles broadly, "See? I can defend you from the evil clowns, don't worry."
Sam laughs and shakes his head, and they eat for a bit, swapping stories, the tamer ones, in Sam and Dean's cases, from their past.
He can only gather that, given the fact they are eating and telling stories, Dean and Stiles actually talked and came to some sort of agreement.
This is good.
After they eat, the Sheriff has to get back to work, and Dean goes back to the motel to pick up Cas and Charlie, so they can try and work out a plan now that they know nothing supernatural can actually help them.
Sam stays behind, and helps Stiles with the dishes.
"Thank you" he says, kind of without really planning to.
"What for?" the kid asks, looking at him as he loads the dishwasher.
"For giving him a chance. I know it can't be easy for you but… Dean needs this" he thinks about it for a moment, and then decides to take the plunge, because this can be a good thing for his brother, and he can't let him just lose it, "When we are on the job, Dean sometimes… forgets that I'd be just as lost without him as he is without me. He just… puts me as his priority, and forgets that I need him to be alive too. With you maybe… maybe he'll finally get it through his thick skull that there are more people in this world who care about him, that he doesn't need to be this self-sacrificing asshole the whole time, that we can help him too, that it isn't his fault every time things go wrong."
Stiles looks startled and Sam worries for a second that he has said too much, but the kid sits on a chair and puts his head on his hands for a moment.
"Oh, God, I have daddy issues and I didn't even know it."
"What?" Sam asks, looking at Stiles curiously, and the kid stares at him, blinking slowly.
"You have just described Derek. Everyone is a priority, every mistake is his fault, every chance he gets to almost get killed to save anyone he'll take it. It's Derek all over."
Sam tries very hard not to laugh, but a small smile ends up making an appearance despite himself.
"Well, then you already have the practice. So, thanks."
Stiles just nods at him and shakes his head afterwards, looking disbelieving.
Soon, Dean is back with Castiel and Charlie, and they sit around the living room, waiting for Stiles' pack to show up.
"Why aren't they here already?" Charlie asks, before sitting down, and pulling her iPad from her bag, "I mean, it's a life and death situation here. These two won't let us sleep when one of those is going down." She's frowning, as if questioning Sam and Dean's methods.
"Well, apart from Derek and Peter, everyone in this pack is a teenager. You try and get them to work before nine am during the holidays" Stiles answers, texting someone on his phone.
Dean shakes his head and Sam just accepts the answer, but Cas is staring at the room curiously. His eyes fall on Stiles and stay there, and the kid starts to fidget soon after.
"What?" he ends up asking, when Castiel has been staring at him for a good five minutes.
But before Castiel can say anything the house is being invaded by teens and their Alpha.
"Where's Peter?" Stiles asks as soon as Derek gets in, and the man sighs deeply.
"Out. Said he had something to see about something else – in these exact words, might I add – and left."
Scott shakes his head.
"We should just… never trust him again."
"We don't" Lydia and Stiles answer at the same time, and Sam contains a smile. These kids are entertaining.
They settle down and Sam is pleased to see that they actually are a pretty organized bunch. Derek controls the wolves with a look, sometimes with a quiet growl, Stiles seems to find the whole thing very amusing, especially when he goads the blond kid, Jackson, into snapping at him, and Derek always takes his side, even when he's wrong.
But even if they are an exceptional bunch of young people, they don't have any answers, and neither do the hunters – they are back at square one.
The best plan actually seems to be just… send the angels back, and they'll leave Stiles alone.
Hopefully.
He says so out loud, and is met with a very displeased stare from his… nephew's boyfriend.
Well, isn't that weird?
"Are we just giving up, then?" Cora asks, and she seems angry.
Before anyone can answer, the older guy, Peter, just… shows up by the door, as if he had been there the whole time.
"Of course not. We hide Stiles the same way you two are hidden" he says.
"You're hidden? Oh my God, I'm so stupid, of course you are hidden, it's all in the books!" Stiles says, his voice hopeful, but Dean is already shaking his head.
"Cas did that, and he can't anymore. He lost all of his… angel fairy dust."
"So the way to keep me hidden from an angel is to have an angel hide me?" When the brothers nod at him, Stiles shakes his head.
"Well, isn't this just amazing?"
REVIEW!