Chapter 5
draft 1
No one spoke. Stiles couldn't even close his mouth shut, the air was too thick for him too move.
"what?" his father muttered, eyes closed. His calm tone emphasising the man's confusion and anger.
"I'm sorry dad-"
"what!?" he opened his eyes and spat out the 't' as he spoke.
"you can't make me do this" the words spilt out of Stiles mouth before he could catch them. Regardless of his unintentional blunder, the phrase formed a solid foundation as he lent forward in his chair. There was purpose in his voice for the first time in his life. This sudden courage had came out of nowhere; born out of sheer desperation to save his child's life. It baffled him as much as he could only imagine it did his father. He felt like it must be an instinct, like it had always been there and was just now being awakened. This is why he couldn't explain it. This is why it sounds so sudden and flippant. The truth being that nothing had 'suddenly-changed' his mind about this, his unborn child but that he had merely stopped pretending that this isn't all he has ever wanted in life. And this is exactly what he told his father. It didn't help.
"what the fuck are you talking about stiles?" the sheriff forgot whose company they held for a moment "your having the abortion" he instructed.
"I'm not one of your police people, you cant just give me orders like a solider" The sheriff had to choke back a laugh this time. Who the hell dose this kid think he is?
"HA! WATCH ME" he scoffed at his son, folding his arms as he did so.
"Actually, officer, I would hope you know that that's illegal and I won't perform an abortion unless your son decides he wants one." up until this point the nurse had been quiet content to be a mere bystander to perhaps the most important family feud the Stilinski's had ever had. As she burst their private bubble, bringing them back to the public world, they both noticed that her expression had completely changed. She had risen from her chair, leaning across the table and looked over at Stiles, smiling. Her face softening as she spoke.
"Do you have somewhere to stay? If things go … south. With Daddy here." she asked him, knowing that intervention is sometimes regrettably necessary in these situations. Stiles nodded silently and warily watched the rage build up in his fathers eyes.
"good" she clapped her hands together and started shuffled papers together "its always good to have a large support network, especially during pregnancy" she held a small books worth of leaflets at arms length willing Stiles to take them. But before he could, his father grabbed him roughly by the arm and dragged him out of the house and threw him into the car.
"you forget your coats! … See you in a couple of weeks!" She yelled after the car, waving ecclesiastically.
The drive home was quiet and tense but thankfully Stiles slept through the vast majority of it. He woke up when they were just outside of Beacon hills, driving down the dark forest road where Scott had almost been run over all those years ago. Well, like, a year; but a lot had happened since then.
For example, they are no longer scared of Derek and instead Stiles is mothering(?) his child. The sheriff looked through his rear view mirror to see Stiles emerging from his slumber in the back seats.
"we're not home yet" he said coldly but continued to watch his son between glances of the road and speedometer. Stiles rubbed his eyes sleepily and peered out the window he had passed out against. All he could see was a black and a purple haze where the sky must be.
"yeah I gathered that" he yawned and waited for his fathers reply but all he could hear was the rain; puncturing his heart with every drop.
Upon arriving home, Thomaz went straight through to the kitchen without saying a word to either his son or Malia. They heard pots and pans being slammed around from the room down the hall. Stiles looked his girlfriend up and down fondly after she had embraced him; welcoming him home.
"where'd ya go?" she asked as they walked into the living room. "Scott said you went to the doctor, are you okay now? What happened?"
"nothing" he laughed as they fell onto the sofa together. "it was just a check up" he mumbled that part to himself, just loud enough for her to hear him. She watched as his head bowed, avoiding her gaze. He seemed to be searching amongst the shagged hairs of the carpet for the answers to a question she hadn't yet asked. She put a soft hand on his knee, causing him to finally look up at him. The only sound to be heard was the Sheriff passive aggressively cooking or possibly cleaning in the kitchen. Their eyes said all that needed to be said. She removed her hand; hurt.
"I love you" he whispered as they peered into each others eyes. But she kept a neutral expression and had already taken her hand from his thigh.
"your lying"
"No! I do." he protested
"That may be but stop ly-"
Their eyes fell upon the coffee table, the stiff atmosphere was cut by a high pitched Asian girl, singing in a foreign tongue. They both looked to Stiles phone. Her cheery tone stood out against the frankly brilliant week Stiles had been having. He reached out and answered it; happy for an excuse to escape the conversation.
"hey Scott" he said lazily, fake enthusiasm echocing down the phone. "whoa clam down. SCOTT! Chill man."
Stiles stood up and left the room, holding the cell away from his ear slightly. Malia watched her boyfriend head for the stairs. She climbed up on to her knees and leaned over the sofa to watch him through the door way. She fell back into the cushions wearing a pout. What the hell is going on she couldn't help but think. It was apparent to her that something had happened, that Scott had something to say that he didn't want her to hear but what? And did she want to know? Of course she fucking does, how dare he lie to her!?
Meanwhile, Stiles had escaped to his room, falling onto the floor under his window, still on the phone to Scott. He pulled a blanket off his bed and curled up close to the wall, wanting to fall back to sleep. However, Scott's next words succeed in waking him up. Stiles had finally got him to calm down and stop screeching, inaudibly.
"Okay, now what the damn hell is wrong?" Stiles almost closed his eyes.
"i know"
"...know what?"
"shut up and let me talk" Scott snapped. "I-know-okay. Look, Deaton told me. I know."
It took Stiles a little while for him to realise what he was talking about. Obviously his new found fatherhood was the first thing that crossed his mind when Scott had said that he 'knew'. However, he instantly pushed it from his mind not believe that that's what he could have been talking about.
"I know about Derek and the baby. About you … and Derek … and the baby." neither of them spoke for a while after this. They just sat their listening to each other breath.
"I guess mum was right" Scott attempted a joke which fell on deaf ears.
"... my baby" was all that Scott got in way of an answer. He couldn't shake the feeling that Stiles was correcting him. Not the baby, his baby.
"yeah" Scott replied and after a few more seconds of silence asked if he intended to keep it. Stiles made a grunting noise, meaning, of course, yes. Yes he was. It felt good to say with such confidence.
"Dad's pretty pissed and I think Malia's gonna leave me when she finds out but I don't really have a choice. She's my responsibility. I have to do this." there was that determination and purpose in his voice again. Scott had never heard him like this before.
"well, in that case, congratulations dude." this took Stiles by surprise "I think your making the right choice"
"really?"
"yeah. Of course. I mean, no one knows what's going to happen in the future and with this- your child. But if anyone has the faintest of ideas, its got to be you. Right?...like a mothering instinct. Or whatever you want to call it..."
The noise that escaped Stiles mouth this time was somewhere between a giggle and a word but unmistakably happier then before. For the first time since he had become acquainted with the idea of his child he was able to see it as more of a blessing than a cruse. He let his hand, finally touch his stomach, tracing a circle with his palm through the blankets. He smiled softly as he listened to Scott's feeble attempt to cheer him up, but who was he to say this when it was working so well. However, this fondness couldn't last for long.
I miss Malia He told Scott.
"what are you talking about? You live together." Scott laughed at his oldest friend.
"well yeeeeeaaaah but like seeing someone isn't the same as being with them." there was a couple seconds silence while Scott failed to understand that "i mean, physically she's there but not emotionally" Stiles instantly regretted being so open with his feelings, even if it was Scott.
"just talk to her dude, your feel better after" Scott told him. He began to speak again but heard a crash instead.
"stiles? Stiles!" he called down the phone but Scott didn't hear his friends voice until they met at school the next day. He'd developed the wonderful talent of being able to fall asleep anywhere at any given time. It had happened so suddenly as well. He had dropped the phone, letting it slide across the floor and found a temporary bed against the wall, his neck hanging like it had been broken.
He woke the next morning in his own bed with Malia's arms wrapped around his waist. Stiles could only just breath from how tight she was holding him; she smiled so softly and completely. He arched his back backing into her chest, closing the minuscule gap that had separating them from being glued together. Neither of them heard his father calling up the stairs and storming into the room to wake them up; still annoyed from the previous night and complaining about them making him late. He stopped and took a step back when he saw them together like that. The scene melted him. He took a deep breath taking the scene in; hoping the last week had all been a terrible dream. He cleared his throat and knocked on the door, arousing his son from Day dreaming and playing with his girlfriends fingers under the covers.
"get up" he said "school"
Almost in that instant, Malia woke up and everything returned to how he had been the night before. She kissed him good morning but her lips where dry and Stiles blushed from her touch. Why is he blushing Malia worried I've kissed him a thousand times.
It didnt take long for their friends to see that something was up between the two of them but everyone had the good sense not to mention it. Malia didn't talk to Stiles and stiles didn't talk to Malia but their conversations across rooms were deep and painful.
Stiles was glad to get away and that blessing came in the form of a 6"2, glistening, Latin American werewolf jogging up to him in a white tank top and grey sweats. While his friends studied and did all the things that happen within the confines of high school, Stiles walked down the street, silently hoping Derek hadn't seen him so he could watch him jog away but no such luck. Derek jogged a circle round Stiles making him dizzy.
"Hey stay still" Stiles whined and grabbed Derek's arm. Stiles told Derek upon questions that he had been on his lunch break, trying to find anything to do that didn't involve his girlfriend. He didn't mention Scott quizzing him about the baby but maybe Derek could be that something.
"why are you jogging? That seems pointless for a werewolf" Stiles mocked once they had both recovered from laughing after Derek almost fell into a push chair; apologising furiously. But the woman looked like she would forgive him anything, lingering too long for Stiles liking. I am not jealous.
"In a fitness sense? Yes" he put his hand on his hips "but exercise pumps blood round your body faster then usual. Its good for your skin" he smirked, making stiles burst out laughing. The bullshit this man comes up with.
They walked down the street together, arms brushing against each other, until they finally came to a small patch of grass. They fell under the large tree together, taking shelter from the oppressive Californian sun.
He thought about telling Derek, about confessing everything but instead he chose to do what he had originally intended. He used Derek completely, he used him as an escape. They hung out at the mall all afternoon and then stayed up late listening to the radio in Derek's loft. Stiles hadn't had so much fun doing nothing in all his life. He fell asleep sometime between a late night interview with Lana Del Rey an aggressive, fast tempo-ed beat. His hazy vision blurred to a focus on Derek's perfectly formed arse, being pulled up and down on a chin-up bar. He was wearing those swear pants that Stiles favoured so much. Who could have asked for a better wake up call?
Stiles had to leave promptly before he was late for work, Apologising furiously to his dad down the phone for disappearing all night.