He woke to the faint sounds of voices from downstairs, making his brow furrow a little. Danny then looked to where Stiles was laying and sighed inaudibly in relief to find the other teen still asleep. Stiles definitely needed the rest. Danny stayed there for only a moment longer before he quietly shifted out of the bed and made his way downstairs. When he got to the first floor, Danny followed the sound of voices to find Scott and Linden sitting at the kitchen table. "Hey," Danny all-but-mumbled as he sat down in one of the empty chairs. "What's going on?"
"How's Stiles?" Scott asked instead of answering the question, glancing over toward the staircase with a worried frown on his face.
"Sleeping." Danny idly ran a hand through his hair, sighing softly with a glance over to the stairs of his own. He was glad that Stiles was still asleep, it was a good thing; but, he was still stressed about the entire situation. They all were, and Danny knew that much.
Linden nodded absentmindedly, twisting the coffee cup he had on the table around slightly. "We didn't find anything. No one's missing or injured in a way that would explain the blood," Linden explained with a shake of his head. He looked older, more tired than he should, and it made Danny want to give the guy a hug. Instead, the teen just sat there. "We ran into Derek, he's not heard of anyone missing, either."
Danny nodded at the information, crossing his arms as he rested them on the top of the table. Like the other two sitting with him, Danny was not sure at all what to do. They all wanted to help Stiles, but none of them knew how. Danny opened his mouth to say something, but the words died out as a blood-curtailing scream came from up the stairs. Danny immediately sprang up from his chair and all but sprinted up the stairs, Linden and a wolfed-out Scott not far behind.
They found Stiles in his bedroom, sitting upright on the bed as he screamed, fingers twisted into the bedding beneath him to the point they were white from lack of circulation. Danny reached out and placed a gentle hand on the side of Stiles' face, trying to get the other teen to look at him. "Stiles! Stiles, look at me. You're okay," Danny insisted as his other hand rested on Stiles' shoulder. "It was a dream."
The screams slowly stopped as Danny sat down next to Stiles and pulled him into a hug. Stiles hid his face and tears against Danny's chest as he shook in the other teen's arms. He kept mumbling a repeated apology that had Danny looking at Linden at a loss of what to do. Scott stood in the doorway behind Linden, his features back to normal though he looked as though he were barely holding himself back from rushing to Stiles' side. None of them were sure how much longer they could deal with everything.
Stiles and Danny ended up going for a walk when Stiles could not get back to sleep. Neither teen said anything as they walked slowly, arms brushing as they walked. Stiles kept his gaze upward, toward the stars that were scattered through the sky while Danny looked ahead, glancing at Stiles every few moments. "I'm okay," Stiles said after a while, letting out a heavy breath and looking to Danny. "Really. I'm okay. I'm just... adjusting."
"Stiles... this is... this is not okay," replied Danny with a shake of his head. "You shouldn't have to be dealing with this; and, I'm scared for you."
The other teen laughed slightly, in a slightly bitter way, nudging Danny with his shoulder. "It's not me you should be scared for."
"Yeah, well..." Danny shrugged slightly and wrapped his arm around Stiles' shoulders, drawing the other teen closer to his side. "I am, anyway."
Stiles smiled a little, ducking his head to look at his feet as they walked. "Thanks for being here, Danny. It's... yeah, thanks." Stiles knew that if Danny had not have volunteered to walk with him that Scott would have done so in a heartbeat. He was kind of glad that Scott was giving him some space, though. As glad as he was that his best friend was continuing to be there and be supportive, he hated Scott seeing him like he was. He did not want the other teen to ever remember him like he was.
"Stop it," instructed Danny after a moment, gently squeezing Stiles' shoulders. "Whatever you're thinking about. Stop. We're going to figure this out, Stiles." They had to. Danny sighed inaudibly as they walked, glad that at least for a moment Stiles seemed to relax as they walked. Neither one said anything else as the sky slowly turned lighter in the distance, but they kept walking.
They walked until the beginnings of sunrise could be seen over the treetops and Danny got a text from Scott asking if he knew where Stiles was.
With me. We'll be back soon.
Danny sent the text to Scott and started to lead Stiles back in the direction of the Stilinski house, his arm still around the other teen's shoulders. "C'mon, let's head back," Danny suggested. Stiles simply nodded in response, resting his head on Danny's shoulder. The walk back to the house was quiet, and by the time they got back the sun was visible through the treeline in the east. Danny took his arm from around Stiles' shoulders once they got to the house, though he did absentmindedly take a hold of the other teen's hand as they walked inside.
"Hey, kids," Linden said with a slight smile when he met the two teens in the front hallway. "Mel and I are making breakfast for everyone. Want some?"
Stiles shook his head a little before gesturing toward the stairs. "I think I'm gonna go take a shower," he said with a tired sigh. He smiled a little when Danny squeezed his hand gently before they let go of one another and Stiles made his way upstairs.
"I'll help you guys," offered Danny before following Linden into the kitchen, where Melissa already was. Scott and Allison sat at the table with a cup of coffee each. "Where's everyone else?"
"They went to go talk to Derek," Allison told Danny, hiding a yawn behind her hand. "We're hoping he might have some idea of what's wrong with Stiles." She glanced up at the ceiling when they heard the sounds of the shower upstairs turning on, and she frowned a little as her gaze returned to her coffee cup. "I hate not being able to help him."
Allison smiled faintly when Scott placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure we'll figure it out soon," Scott stated with an optimistic smile. Danny nodded absentmindedly in agreement as he helped Melissa with making some scrambled eggs. However they all silently agreed on one thing. They hated having to wait until they could figure something out.
Stiles eventually returned downstairs with the others after a long shower that left his skin slightly red from the elevated temperatures of the water. It made Linden frown slightly as his son made himself some tea, but the sheriff said nothing on the subject. He just remained quiet as Scott spoke rapidly and animatedly about some kittens that had come into the clinic recently. "They even like me!" Scott insisted with one of his goofy grins that made even Stiles smile a little, which only in turn made Scott grin, if possible, even more.
He could tell that Stiles was starting to get antsy from their complete lack of information or ideas of what to do, and did his best friend's duty of distracting the other teen with a promise of a video game spree. Allison and Danny simply watched, talking quietly among themselves. Allison leaned against Danny, stretching out where they were on the floor in front of the couch that Scott and Stiles occupied. It took Danny several minutes to even realize that he was being used as a human recliner by Allison, but he found that he honestly did not mind it. He found comfort in being close to someone else who was just as lost and confused as he was. It was almost sobering and calming in a way that Danny could not explain.
After a while, Danny rested his head against Stiles' knee, causing the other teen to jump slightly at the unexpected contact; but, after that, Stiles relaxed slightly and he eventually began to play with Danny's hair while Scott chose new stages for them or would jump up to grab drinks or snacks from the kitchen for everyone. Danny closed his eyes at the soothing action, smiling softly to himself before tilting his head back enough to look up and smile slightly at Stiles, who smiled in response. "Allison's asleep," Stiles all-but-mumbled, nodding his head slightly in the sleeping brunette's direction.
Danny dropped his gaze to where Allison's head was on his shoulder before he shrugged the other one. "Didn't notice," he replied quietly before shaking his head a little. "Don't mind."
"I'm glad you're here, Danny." Stiles took a breath and opened his mouth to say something else, but his attention was pulled to the side when Scott collapsed onto the couch next to him with a fresh bowl of chips.
That night, everyone but Scott and Melissa reluctantly left. Linden had to go into the station to pull an overnight shift, and everyone else had parents who insisted they needed to spend some time at home. Jackson's parents were completely shocked to find out where their son had been. Apparently, they had simply thought he had been at Danny's the entire time until they had called only to find out that neither Danny nor Jackson had been there. Danny's departure was the most reluctant of the lot, and he only left once Scott had quietly and subtly promised him that he would keep a close eye on Stiles. "He'll be fine," Scott insisted, squeezing Danny's shoulder a little. "Promise. You'll be the second person I tell if something happens." It went without mention that Linden would be the first.
"Yeah, okay," Danny finally said with a slight sigh and a nod, running his fingers through his hair. "This is ridiculous. Stiles doesn't deserve this."
"No, but he's got us." Scott smiled at Danny again, nodding once before he pulled away to go help his mother put away the remnants of dinner.
Danny let out a breath he did not realize he had started to hold as he walked into the living room where Stiles sat on the couch, idly toying with the strings of his hoodie. He twisted the white strands around his fingers until he could no longer do so, only to uncoil the strings and do it again. Stiles was anxious, unsteady in a way he did not want to admit. However, the last time he had been without everyone around him overnight... Stiles shuddered at the thought. "Lydia's bringing donuts for everyone in the morning," Danny said as he sat down next to Stiles on the couch. Stiles nodded, but said nothing as he continued to fidget and toy with the strings. The action only stopped when Danny reached up and took the string away from Stiles' hand closest to him. When he laced his fingers with Stiles', gently squeezing, the exhausted teen let out a heavy breath and closed his eyes. "Scott's not going to leave your side, you know."
"No, I know," replied Stiles with a nod, idly wetting his lips. He did not need to say that he was not worried about someone being there per say. He was more scared of what he might to; he did not trust himself for a moment. The more of his friends around him there was, the less likely he would be able to actually hurt someone. "Derek's leaving town again. He's got some contacts or something, someone who might know more than Deaton has told us."
"Hey, stop, okay? Take a deep breath. Just enjoy some time with your best friend, yeah? S'been a while since you've hung out with Scott by yourself." Danny smiled a little and nudged Stiles with his shoulder. "Have some fun. You've earned it."
Stiles could not explain the complete sense of dread that filled him after Danny left. He tried to focus on video games with Scott, even managing to laugh and smile some more at his best friend's antics. Scott truly was the greatest friend, Stiles decided when eventually he ended up practically falling asleep with his head on Scott's lap as they watched mindless comedies on the television. Melissa was asleep curled up in the chair, her hand propping her head up and her curls falling into her face. It was quiet, calm, and eventually Stiles fell asleep.
"Stiles!" he woke up to the sound of his name from somewhere in the distance. It made his brow furrow as he curled up tighter into a ball, trying to fight of consciousness. He did not want to wake up, a sick sinking feeling filling him at the mere thought. However streams of sunlight falling across his face made it harder and harder to stay asleep. "Stiles, where are you?"
That made Stiles sit up with a soft gasp. He immediately moved backward until his back hit the wall of the... cave he was in, which made his brow furrow once he realized where he was. He was not sure how he had gotten there. The last thing he remembered was falling asleep on Scott's lap. Stiles' hands shook as he looked them over. There was no blood but his own, and his knuckles were bruised, scraped as though he had been hitting something that had no give to it. "Stiles!" came another voice, still distant but a little closer.
He tried to call out, to say something, but his voice did not want to cooperate. With shaking limbs, Stiles used the wall to stand up, nearly hitting his head on the top of the small cave. He then made his way outside, squinting at the brightness of the sun and holding a hand up to try to block the light. "Stiles!" was all the warning he got before he suddenly had an armful of Lydia clinging tightly to him. "Are you okay?" She quickly pulled back enough to look Stiles over, pursing her lips at the tattered state of his clothing, especially around the knees.
"I'm fine," Stiles managed to say in a slightly shaky, hoarse voice. "Scott?"
Lydia frowned slightly as she took a step back and smoothed out the front of her skirt. "C'mon, let's go find the others. They're worried about you." Lydia managed a faint smile as she started to walk in the direction the other voices were coming from. "I found him. He's okay!" Lydia flicked her hair back out of her face as she walked, glancing over her shoulder to make sure that Stiles was following.
He practically stumbled to a stop when Lydia quit walking upon finding the others. Danny reached out and helped steady him, which Stiles appreciated but did not comment on. "Where's Scott?" Stiles asked after a moment, seeing that his best friend and Allison weren't there. Nobody said anything, they just started to lead Stiles toward the cars, which were quite a ways off. He tugged his arm out of Danny's grasp, nearly making them both fall over. "Where is Scott?"
"He's at the house, kiddo," Linden said with a sigh after several long moments of silence. Stiles watched his father as the man seemed to be weighing his words. The teen wanted to tear his hair out as he glanced around the group, wanting someone, anyone to tell him what happened and why they all seemed so hesitant, almost wary.
"He's still healing," said Danny after it became aware no one else was going to speak up, causing Stiles to quickly look toward the goalie.
"Wh-what do you mean still healing?" Stiles shuddered slightly and crossed his arms over his chest, trying to keep his breathing steady and slow.
"Wolfsbane," Lydia offered, making Stiles' wandering gaze land on her and stay there as she tried her hardest not to fidget under the gaze. "Y- someone poisoned Scott with wolfsbane last night. That's... that's all we know."
Stiles idly wet his dry lips, dropping his hands to his sides and clenching his fists to keep them from shaking. "I poisoned Scott?"
"We don't know that," insisted Jackson, the attempt at calming Stiles startling the teen enough to work. For the moment, anyway.
Stiles nodded slowly, clenching and unclenching his fists. "I want to see him." Stiles nodded again, mostly to himself that time, as he looked to his dad. "Please?"
Nobody said a word as Stiles finally let his dad continue to lead him to the cars. It was eerily silent in the woods, and Stiles shuddered a little at a cool breeze from the north. He picked at a hangnail mindlessly as he walked, trying to keep from thinking too hard on anything that was going on. His breathing became a little more unsteady the closer to his home that he got, and he inched away when Danny attempted to touch his shoulder. Danny tried to not take it personally, but it hurt a little. The teen bit his lip lightly to keep himself quiet. There were more important things going on, after all.
By the time they got to the Stilinski residence, Stiles was all but shaking in his seat. He seemed paler than normal and looked as though he was seconds away from bolting from everyone. "He's inside," Danny urged quietly after several minutes. That time, Stiles did not move away when Danny's hand landed on his own.
Stiles nodded, but just sat there for several moments before he gently squeezed Danny's hand in his own. He continued to sit there for several long moments, before he finally got out of the car, letting go of Danny's hand as he went. Everyone else stayed out by the cars, and Stiles swore he heard Lydia saying something about dragging them all to the grocery store to get things for dinner, if only to give Stiles and Scott some privacy. Isaac seemed reluctant, but he got into Lydia's car, anyway.
Stiles was almost to the front door when Allison came outside. She smiled softly at Stiles and stopped to give the pale teen a quick hug before she continued over to where the others were. He turned to watch the others as they headed out, and he took a deep breath, trying to still his shaking hands as he started inside. Stiles did not even make it to the living room before Scott appeared in the doorway. "I'm okay," Scott insisted as he quickly tugged Stiles into a tight embrace.
The other teen shook in his hold, but just stood there until the words sank in. Stiles eventually nodded several times and wrapped his arms around his best friend, apologizing several times over under his breath. He squeezed his eyes shut and hid his face in Scott's shoulder. "It wasn't you," Scott insisted without letting Stiles go even slightly, needing the reassurance just as much as Stiles did. "It's not you."