Stiles lies on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He thinks about doing his homework. It's getting close to nine, and he hasn't really started yet. It's Friday, so it's not like he needs to finish it tonight. He's got a few days to do it.
He likes Fridays. They're the end of a long, tiring week, and represent the beginning of two whole days of freedom from the rigors of high school socializing. His dad's working this weekend, so Stiles doesn't really have to interact with anyone. He doesn't have to slap a smile on his face and pretend that he's happy, or even okay. He hates going to school. He hates having to act, having to lie to his friends that everything's okay, when most days he really just feels like shit. It's tiring.
His phone buzzes. Did you ask your dad yet? It's a text from Scott. Stiles hasn't, and doesn't want to think about it, so he doesn't answer. He knows Scott is waiting for a reply, but he doesn't know how to answer. He hasn't asked his dad yet, and doesn't want to think about it right now. He'll ask his dad when he comes home from work, he decides. His dad's not coming home until around midnight. He's got a couple of hours to figure out how he's going to ask him.
He looks at the clock again. 8:54. He should probably make something for dinner. He didn't really eat breakfast, but had to eat his sandwich during lunch because Scott was watching him. Stiles told Scott a few nights ago that he hasn't really been eating, and since then, Scott's been acting weird. He doesn't really blame him. Stiles doesn't really know how he'd react if Scott told him he was starving himself. Whenever they're together, Scott's encouraging him to eat. At lunch, they're with their friends, so Stiles can't really refuse without getting everyone else involved. And he really doesn't want to talk to get everyone involved. And after school, Scott's texting him a lot more than usual. Sometimes, Stiles answers, and sometimes he doesn't. Scott keeps on asking him whether he's eaten anything. He can only answer in the negative so many times before Scott gets worried. And Stiles doesn't like to make Scott worried.
So Stiles heads down to the kitchen, to figure out what he's going to eat for dinner. He's not really hungry. Hasn't really been hungry in weeks, not since the Nogitsune. And they don't really have too much food in the fridge. Stiles' dad isn't too good at remembering to go grocery shopping, and Stiles just couldn't be bothered to go this week. He finds some bread and some cheese. He doesn't feel like cooking, but if he eats a cheese sandwich, he'll be able to tell Scott that he ate dinner without lying.
Scott's worried about him, Stiles knows. He doesn't want Scott to be worried. Scott wants him to see a therapist, to talk about what happened with the Nogitsune. Stiles knows that it's probably a good idea, but it's scary. It's hard to commit to speaking to a shrink. He knows that he should do it, that he probably will do it, but it's hard to admit to himself that he needs to do it.
It's even harder to talk to his dad about it. His dad knows what happened with the Nogitsune, and probably knows that Stiles isn't really handling it well. But he and his dad don't talk about their emotions. They never have, not even after Stiles' mom had died.
But Stiles know that he's not okay right now. He needs to talk about what happened - the possession, and his role in Alison's death. He needs to talk about how he's feeling, and about what he's not feeling. He needs to talk to his dad.
He decides to do some of his homework before his dad comes home. He used to try to finish all of it on Friday night, so that he could have the rest of the weekend free. Tonight, though, he's having a hell of a time starting - let alone concentrating on - his homework. It's hard to see why he should do it tonight, when he has the rest of the weekend to do it. It's not like he has any other plans.
He spends the next few hours doing his homework. He doesn't really get a lot done. He's nervous about talking to his dad, and he just doesn't really care about his homework. It just seems so unimportant right now, especially given that he's living in a world where he might literally be killed by werewolves or demons or whatever. He could die tomorrow. Why should his homework matter? Why does anything he does matter? He doesn't really have an answer.
He hears his dad come home, so he heads downstairs to greet him.
"Hey, dad," Stiles says.
"Hey, Stiles," his dad says. He looks surprised. Stiles doesn't usually wait up for him, or greet him when he comes home. "What's up?"
Stiles doesn't answer immediately. He fiddles with his sleeve. His dad waits patiently. That's one of the things that he likes most about him.
"I - I think," Stiles takes a deep breath. His dad nods at him encouragingly. "I think I need to speak with someone." He looks at his dad quickly, and then looks away. "Like a therapist, maybe." He whispers the last phrase. It's unexpectedly hard to say.
"That might be a good idea," his dad says, and Stiles lets out a deep breath he didn't realize he was holding. "The only concern I have is that I'd like you to be able to speak completely honestly with someone. About all of your experiences, even the supernatural ones. Especially the supernatural ones."
Stiles nods. "I was actually talking to Scott, who told me that Derek probably knew about therapists who knew about werewolves and stuff. He asked Derek for me, and he gave me the name of this one." He hands his dad a piece of paper.
His dad takes the paper, and reads it. "Dr. Jenna Collins. I'll make some calls tomorrow," he looks at the clock and winces, "today. Her office might be closed because it's Saturday, but I'll leave a message if it is. Is that good?"
"Yeah," Stiles says. He hugs his dad, hesitantly. His dad hugs him back, and Stiles just enjoys the hug, enjoys knowing that his dad cares.
They stay like that for a few minutes. "Stiles, you might want to get to sleep," his dad says. "I know it's a Saturday, but you've had a rough few weeks, and I think you need some rest."
"Ok," Stiles says, and gives his dad one more hug. He heads upstairs, and grabs his phone off the desk.
I asked him, he sends to Scott.
Scott replies immediately. What he'd say?
He's going to call her tom, Stiles sends.
Dude that's awesome! I'm proud of u :)
And Stiles is too.