"Dad, I-"
"Stiles, I specifically requested you don't go to the Hales. And you went to the Hales. I'm beginning to think there's something wrong with your ears." Stiles watched as his father opened a cabinet, grabbed a coffee mug, then let it slam shut on its own. The sound made him instinctively flinch.
He had arrived home with Scott in tow only minutes before, and found his father seated in the kitchen reading the newspaper. He hadn't told Stiles he was going to take a half day and come home way earlier than Stiles originally expected. Scott, sensing danger, immediately excused himself by saying he had to go home and clean the toilet and promptly abandoned Stiles. The feeling of guilt was creeping up on Stiles even though he had thoroughly enjoyed himself in the confusing egg hunt, and he couldn't deny seeing everyone again when he was forbidden had been a secret thrill. Maybe there was something wrong with him.
As his father poured himself a cup of coffee from the coffee pot, he pulled out the dining room chair and sat. He knew this was going to be a long talk with his father if he ever wanted to go out again. He couldn't afford to become the Rapunzel of Beacon Hills- his hair was just not that long.
"Dad, I have to be straight with you. I think I'm gay."
"What?" His father was just about to take a sip of his coffee when Stiles abruptly confronted him with the statement. "What'd you say?"
"Gay, dad. I'm probably gay. And I know, I haven't dated any girls. I mean, I'm probably more bi than anything because I still like the general aesthetic of female figures, but-"
"Stiles, what does this have to do with disobeying my orders?" Sheriff said with a look of sheer disbelief. Stiles waved his hands for his father to stop talking and let him finish.
"I mean, I'm gay, and I sort of wanted to start something with, you know...Derek. We were supposed to go out on a date. Like a man date. Mandate, what am I even saying, that's a totally different word...um, look, I just wanted to explore, and you're really being unreasonable, dad. I mean come on, who grounds their kid right before they graduate from high school? It's not like I'm going to be in Beacon Hills for much longer, can't I just do what I want?"
"Stiles," John said with an authoritative tone, not hiding his irritation. "I don't care if you're attracted to the UPS man. What we're talking about is while you live under my roof, and go to college off of my paycheck, you listen to what I say. You might be ten thousand miles away, but if you disrespect me as you're doing right this instant- you better believe I will be right outside your dorm room door." He leaned on the back of one of the dining room chairs, staring at Stiles with an intensity that Stiles couldn't, but wanted, to look away from. He started to open his mouth again but John cut him off before he could get a word in edgewise.
"No. You're going to listen to me right now. When I say you're grounded, you're grounded. When I say you're not going to hang out with any of the Hales, you're not going to get involved with any of the Hales. I do these things to keep you safe, Stiles. The Hales are bad news. There's something wrong with that bunch, and I might not know what, but you're not hanging out with them. And taking Scott with you? Stiles, you're putting the people around you in danger. I'd like to think my son was smarter than that, but apparently, you're in the mood to run towards danger instead of away from it. Now, seeing that you're willing to completely disregard my requests for your well deserved punishment, I'm going to expand it. No seeing anyone. Scott can come over only when I'm here. And it's staying that way until I drop you off at college in a few weeks."
"But dad!" Stiles exclaimed, but his father waved his hand as if he were waving away Stiles' dismay.
"No. No weaseling your way out of this, Stiles. I don't understand why you're challenging me on this. Do you even get how dangerous it was, what the Hales got you involved in? There's some sort of Beacon Hills clan war going on, and they've pulled you into it. They don't care if you end up dead, Stiles. I do. I'm your father, and I'm not going to let you get pulled into something meaningless and have you be another casualty."
"Dad, they would care. They're keeping me safe!" He insisted, but he felt his resolve weakening. Without being able to tell his dad all the details, he was beginning to see how his father's perspective was so distorted. Or maybe his own perspective was clouded with the desire to fit in to this new crazy world.
Sheriff Stilinski stared at Stiles, and for a moment, Stiles looked away. When his eyes returned to his dad's due to the extended silence, he caught the other's disappointed gaze. It was so strong he could feel the disappointment being transferred to him, reverberating around his body.
"Stiles, I just want you to listen to what I'm saying to you carefully." He couldn't miss how tired his dad sounded, how clearly exhausted the whole situation made him. At first, his anger had made Stiles think he was more energized by the situation - but clearly it masked how depleted his dad felt, expending all his energy on trying to keep what was left of his family safe. "Everyone gets infatuated with a certain person or group when they're young. It's not going to amount to anything even if you go after it, okay? You're going to college. You'll meet more people. You'll enjoy yourself. I just want you to live that long to get there and realize it. That's why I'm asking you, no- begging you to listen to what I'm saying. I want you to live a long, happy life. Hanging out with the Hales - everyone who isn't a Hale, they don't live a long happy life. Stiles, even the people who marry into that family end up dead."
"What?" Stiles quipped, his eyes wide. "What do you mean?"
"Stiles, Derek's wife died from trauma. It was covered up like an accident - look, I can't talk about details with you, just know if he's protecting you, you're better off with just my protection. Because with him, if he's protecting you, you're going to end up dead."
Stiles couldn't fathom how he had missed that Paige might have been killed by the pack. Maybe she did something to deserve it - or maybe his father was right. Maybe Derek was a cold-blooded killer, and the whole clan had enough say in the community to cover it up. He felt a cold feeling wash over him as he stared off at the wall. His father frowned, leaned over and patted his shoulder before he got up with his mug in hand.
"I'm going to bed. Remember to tell Scott your new sentence, okay?" He stared at Stiles for a prolonged moment before he made sure the door was locked, then headed out of the room. When Stiles finally snapped out of his revere, he slowly pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at it. With stiff movement, he opened up Scott's text messaging box and sent off a single sentence. 'Dad said Derek killed his wife.' He set his phone down, and then put a hand over his mouth, leaning on the table as he stared mindlessly. He didn't want to believe Derek was capable of doing such a horrific thing, but he remembered the bloodbath at the bank, and he couldn't pull his mind away from that possible revelation.