Here we are at chapter 2. Let me know what you think!
Croatoan
Chapter 2: Around the Campfire
Jackson's aunt and uncle had just been entertaining in the cabin a few days prior to their arrival. It was a vacation home and rarely used, but they had hosted a family reunion for a friend so all the rooms had been taken; perfect for them because the sheets would all be clean, the kitchen would be full, and most importantly, the bars would be freshly stocked.
Stiles knew this because this was apparently the one topic of conversation discussed in Jackson's car on the way over; which Kira had recited to Scott, and hey, it wasn't eavesdropping if they left the door wide open.
The rooms upstairs were all large with identical furnishings; four poster bed, large wardrobe, dresser with an oval mirror, desk and chair. Some had adjoining bathrooms and half had balconies, of course leading to a heated hallway debate as to who got which room. Stiles avoided the skirmish and threw his bag into the first room that was unoccupied, heading back downstairs to start rooting through the kitchen.
He never understood why rich people had huge kitchens when they barely ever cooked, and Jackson's aunt was no different. The kitchen was spotless and pointlessly huge, with shining black marble countertops, two stoves, the widest fridge Stiles had ever seen, and an island long enough to fit five barstools. He heaved one of the fridge's doors open, trying to keep his eyes from bulging out of his head at the overwhelming amount of food; eagerly digging in and rooting through his choices. He grabbed a bowl of cold penne, tearing off the saran wrap and grabbing a handful of the pasta, eating as he looked through the different types of juice.
"You really have no shame, do you."
He spun at the familiar monotonous timbre of Derek's voice, nearly dropping the bowl. He struggled to swallow his mouthful, scowling at him.
"I do too," he spluttered at him indignantly, putting the bowl back and struggling to cover it back up with the wad of saran wrap stuck to itself. Derek leaned his hip against the island and crossed his arms, watching him with amusement. "Find the booze?"
Derek reached behind him for a half-filled whiskey glass, tipping it at him before taking a swig of the amber liquid. He placed it back on the counter as Stiles began to amble towards the sliding glass door, hand reaching for the handle as he gazed out at the pool's inviting waters.
"Don't."
He turned and looked at him, taking in the wolf's stormy expression. "Don't what, go outside?"
He gave a curt nod, arms folding tightly over his broad chest once more. "Humans inside until we scout out a perimeter. I haven't been here before."
Stiles glanced out the glass at the shadows forming in the treeline; their secluded location deep in the woods suddenly seemed less peaceful and quiet, more foreboding and ominous. He thought back to how long they'd traveled through the thick forest to reach their destination, Derek had a lot of ground to cover. "My dad checked police reports in the area before he signed off on me coming, this place seems pretty quiet. No unusual animal attacks in over a decade, I think we should be good."
"We'll see." he snatched his drink back up and headed out the archway to the dining room, Stiles sighed and let his hand fall from the door. He heard voices from the living room, he made his way towards them, finding everyone mulling around idly and chatting. Derek entered from the opposite entrance by the stairs, looking each of the pack members over as he placed his drink on top of the post at the end of bannister. "Scott."
Scott glanced up from his conversation with Kira, taking a few steps away from the fireplace towards him. "Yeah?"
"Come with me, I want to give this place a quick once over."
Scott nodded, heading to the door; Jackson stood up from the couch, holding up a hand indignantly. "Wait a minute. Why not take me? I've been in these woods a hundred times."
Derek paused, the line of his jaw hard, not impressed with his immediate objection. "We're losing daylight, Scott's faster."
Stiles bit his tongue to refrain from pointing out Isaac was faster than Scott, not wanting to get the same death stare Jackson had received. They exited the front door and Jackson grumbled to himself, Kira shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably in Scott's absence.
She'd managed to assimilate into their group seamlessly, but she was too shy for her own good; an overthinker, like Stiles. Stiles could remember every single stupid thing he'd ever said, verbatim, and could list each offense in chronological order. And with his impressive record of shoving his foot in his mouth, this was not a feat to be understated; he could sympathize.
He moved over to Kira by the fireplace, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Hey." he greeted her, trying not to sound awkward. He was unsuccessful. She smiled at him with a nod, lips pressed tightly together, he glanced town at her hands furiously twisting the hem of her blouse. It was a marvel shirt; the fabric printed with squares of different comic book characters, mostly avengers and x-men. "Who's your favorite?"
She furrowed her eyebrows at him in confusion. "What?" she asked, he nodded at her shirt; she looked down and laughed. "Oh, I get it. Duh. Um, I don't know, I like all of them."
"Fair," he could rarely chose one favorite anything, never mind a superhero. "How about your top three?"
She tilted her head to the side and looked up at the ceiling as she mulled it over, tapping a finger against her cheek. "Three? Hmm. I'd have to say.. Daredevil, Wolverine, and Thor."
Stiles' eyebrows few to his hairline of their own accord. "Interesting choices."
"What about you?"
"Well, Deadpool."
She cracked a smile, "What a surprise."
"Ah, then I'd have to say it's a toss-up between Spiderman and the Hulk. Everyone can say Iron Man's the shit but it takes a true pimp to rock purple pants."
She laughed, unexpectedly loud, causing Allison's head to snap over to her; Stiles didn't miss the subtle narrowing of her eyes, chin jutting out almost imperceptibly. Perhaps the jealousy went both ways. Kira clapped a hand over her mouth, pale cheeks turning pink. "That is a very good point. Wasn't he getting some in Planet Hulk too?"
Stiles got excited despite himself, none of his friends read comic books anymore. "Yes! That was beyond excellent, I got all the trades if you want to borrow them sometime." he plopped down on a couch, she smiled warmly at his offer and sat across from him.
"What did you think of the skrull invasion?" she asked, he leaned his elbows on his knees, eyes bright with interest.
"Oh god, that was ridiculous. How'd you like civil war?"
"I cried. Hysterically. On more than one occasion." she admitted, Stiles laughed. "I think that might've been my favorite series, how bout you?"
"House of M, without a doubt." Stiles answered with no hesitation.
"Nerds." Jackson called at them, cutting in on their conversation, Lydia dropped her mouth open and hit him in the arm. Stiles rolled his eyes and offered him a false smile.
"Prince Charming." he responded, Jackson ignored the comment.
"Go check the water in the pool and see if the generator's on. I don't want to have to fumble through the basement for it in the middle of the night."
"Can't." Stiles feigned deep disappointment, "Derek gave strict orders, said no humans outside."
"She," Jackson spat, pointing at Kira, "Isn't a human."
Kira's head dropped slightly, her shoulders tucking closer to her body. Ever since Jackson had gotten shipped back from London his already inflated ego had swelled to a god complex, even more confident since his trip overseas. Although he'd joined Derek's pack almost immediately, he hadn't been happy to come home to three new super-powered members, one of which was fucking his ex-girlfriend. Stiles was fairly certain he'd had a heavy hand in how quickly the twins had disappeared, but he had proven himself loyal to Derek since his return, even if he was still a jerk to the rest of them.
Lydia had accepted him back for the most part, although was much more curt towards him nowadays if that was even possible; she saw Kira's reaction and glared at him. "Don't worry sweetheart, being human's overrated."
"Thanks." Allison said sarcastically, Lydia waved a hand at her dismissively.
Isaac stepped forward between Jackson and Kira. "I'll go check." he volunteered; Allison touched his shoulder as he passed her, a silent thank you for keeping the peace that didn't go unnoticed.
"Aw, thank you alpha's pet." Jackson simpered at him, Isaac rolled his shoulders in irritation as he stalked off.
"Must you create conflict everywhere we go?" Lydia snapped, he shot her a glare, snapping his mouth shut. "Does this place have any alcohol at all? Seriously."
Jackson sighed. "Allison, wanna help me grab a few bottles?"
She nodded with a tentative smile, he led her into the dining room, his fingertips skimming the small of her back. Stiles watched Lydia desperately pretend not to notice, sitting down in an armchair and crossing her legs in a huff, flipping strawberry curls over her shoulder to inspect her nails. He did his best to not notice how high the lace ruffles of her skirt lifted as she sat down, how the peach color of her dress offset her pale legs and perfectly complimented the long tresses framing her face. He forced himself to look elsewhere, anywhere; focusing on the curtains with interest, leg bouncing restlessly.
She became distracted from her nails, digging under her left leg, pulling out a remote from beneath her. "Oh, perfect." she said, turning the tv on above the mantle, switching the channel to a reality show on mtv. The room was immediately filled with the sound of screeching women and shattering glass.
"The hell is that?" Jackson asked as he and Allison returned, bottles clinking in their full arms as they entered the room. They lined up their armloads on a small table pushed up against the staircase, Lydia watched the two of them working in tandem hawkishly. It seemed like everyone was suffering the jealousy bug; Scott was jealous of Allison and Isaac, Allison was jealous of Scott and Kira, Lydia was jealous of Jackson and Allison, and Stiles was jealous of them all.
"I'll go find glasses." Allison offered, leaving the room again; Stiles rose to browse the selection.
"What have we got here?" he moved down the line, noting the high proofs and expensive brands, a diverse selection of whiskey, vodka, brandy, rum and scotch. "Wow, spare no expense, right?"
"Easy there lightweight, we don't want you on the floor before dark." Isaac warned him as he returned from the pool, followed by Allison, helping her set up the glasses at the end of the table. "Water's fine, by the way."
Allison smiled up at him, then glanced out the window, frowning slightly. "It's already getting dark. How long are they going to be out there?"
As if on cue, the front door opened. Scott's hair was disheveled and the knees of his jeans were grass-stained, Derek sauntered in behind him, looking no less worse for the wear. "Hey," Scott greeted them with a wave, slightly winded. Isaac looked to Derek expectantly, receiving a short nod.
"We're good." he stated simply, leaving the room. Kira hopped up to move to Scott's side.
"How was it out there?" she asked, he shrugged.
"Quiet. There's a fire pit out back," he glanced over at Stiles. "You in?"
His eyes lit up, snatching up a handle of run. "C'mon, alcohol and fire? When has that ever not been a great combination?"
They darted off towards the back of the house, abandoning the surprised-looking Kira.
"I better make sure they don't blow themselves up," Isaac grumbled, following them out; Allison giggled and tagged after him.
The fire pit was dug about twenty feet from the concrete edge of the pool, Stiles and Scott already busying themselves gathering sticks from the treeline. Lydia and Jackson walked out of the house, each carrying several bottles; Derek trailed after them at a leisurely pace, his glass of whiskey filled to the brim. Kira was last to emerge, having scoured the house for a basket to bring out a bunch of bottles and glasses all at once; Scott beamed at her for her thoughtfulness.
Allison had stacked the wood he and Stiles brought her, Isaac flipped his zippo lighter back and forth while he watched her precise placement of each stick. Lydia was instructing Jackson to drag some lawn chairs from the pool area over, as she wasn't about to tear her dress sitting on one of the filthy logs circling the pit.
Derek faced away from the group watching the trees, sipping at his drink in feigned disinterest, listening intently to the sounds of his pack in the background. He'd always doubted his abilities as an alpha, especially after the losses of Erica and Boyd. His new pack was shaky at best, on the brink of being halfway competent, if only they could stop fighting long enough to work together.
Scott was strong, but insolent, fighting the chain of command. Isaac was a perfect beta, but his loyalties wavered; and Jackson had been an unexpected asset despite his glaring flaws. He was rather pleased with Lydia and Kira swearing to the pack as well, both were powerful allies, and having a hunter on their side was an obvious advantage. He and Allison still clashed but she at least took orders from Scott, he was tolerating her presence as long as she made herself useful, even if that stupid giggle she did all the time made him grind his teeth like mad. As for Stiles... Well, when it wasn't his fault they were in danger in the first place, even Derek had to admit he was indispensable. If he could get Deaton on his side as adviser; maybe this pack of theirs stood half a chance.
He heard the whoosh of flames and the metallic snap of Isaac's zippo flipping shut, the girls cheered behind him. He swirled the liquid in his glass, taking a another sip, eyes still trained diligently at the shadows looming between the trees. Glasses clinked on bottles and conversations broke out, for a few moments it almost sounded like a regular group of kids if he ignored the supernatural topics being discussed.
"Hey, sourwolf."
Derek turned to glare at Stiles threateningly, the boy grinned at him in glee, just happy he'd responded to the name.
"Just because you're here as a chaperone doesn't mean you have to suck like one." he continued as he sat on one of the long logs facing the fire, beckoning him to join them. He turned back to the group, eyes darting around in excitement, "Hey guys, you know what we should get? S'mores stuff. That'd be amazing."
"Oh, yeah!" Kira exclaimed in excitement, Lydia scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"I'm going to be bloated enough from drinking, I'm not shoving chocolate down my throat too."
"I hate to say it but I agree." Allison chimed in, "I'll vomit."
Derek wandered back to stand with the circle, silently observing with his drink.
"I don't care who vomits. I'm getting some." Stiles sprang up from his log, Jackson rising on the other side of the fire, much to everyone's surprise.
"I'll show you where stuff is. I'd actually kill for some s'mores right now."
Lydia raised an eyebrow as Jackson led Stiles inside, shrugging and turning back to Kira. Derek's eyes followed them across the yard in suspicion; it was only a matter of time before his unruly beta snapped on the kid for eye-fucking his girlfriend every five minutes. He was so blatantly obvious, eyes glazed over, mouth hanging open as he stared, even Derek found himself getting pissed at his inability to control himself.
He tuned out the conversations in front of him and trained his ears towards the house for any sounds of conflict, almost disappointed when he heard none. The noise from the rest of the pack was a teeming mess of poorly concealed emotion, his well-trained senses easily identifying undertones of desire and jealousy; his nose twitching at the heady scents of lust and possessiveness.
He sighed and gulped at his whiskey, he hoped Scott was right and this trip helped bond the group, although he severely doubted it. With all these unchecked emotions he felt this was a sure recipe for disaster, and as Alpha, he'd be left to pick up the pieces. He tapped a finger against his glass in thought, looking up at the rising moon, half-full behind the clouds, stars lost beneath the haze. He was already here, there was no way out now; he had front row tickets to his pack's hormonal squabbling whether he liked it or not.
End Chapter 2.
Chapter two, boom. If you're liking it thus far, let me know! If you don't, also let me know! Won't get better without input. :) Love!