alexis-wayman3 Thank you for adding my story to your favorites! Here's a chapter for you! Sorry that it's a bit short!
I do not own Teen Wolf!
River fell backwards in shock as the pizza delivery car pulled up, blocking her view of the red lights. She stood up quickly, looking to where the lights had been, but they were gone now. The pizza delivery guy walked up the driveway, two boxes in hand. River handed him cash before taking the boxes and thanking him.
Practiacally bolting into the house, River set the pizzas down in the kitchen and ran back to the door, locking it and looking out the window by the door, watching to see if she could spot the lights again. The only thing she spotted was a tall figure walking in the opposite direction, away from her house, and Stiles pulling into the driveway. She unlocked the door when he got to the steps, letting him in.
"You okay?" he asked as she slammed the door shut and locking it again.
"How did Scott describe the thing that bit him?" River asked, leading Stiles to the kitchen.
"Big, dark, red eyes. Why?" Stiles asked.
"Red eyes?" she asked to confirm.
"What happened?" Stiles asked her, worried.
"I thought I saw something," River shook her head. "I think I was just imagining things though. Nothing to worry about."
"Okay. Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yeah," River smiled, grabbing the pizza boxes. "Let's get back to the movie."
They got all the way to the fifth movie before River passed out, cuddled against Stiles' chest. Noah got home around three in the morning, walking into the living room to figure out why the lights were still on. Upon seeing the fort, Noah smirked, tiptoeing around the blankets to get towards where he knew the snack table always ended up. He kneeled down, staring at his kids for a moment to make sure they were truly asleep before he reached a hand out, trying to snag some cookies.
"Don't even think about it," Stiles' sleepy voice said, his eyes not even opening.
Noah let out a huff of breath, turning off the tv and lights before heading upstairs to get some rest. Noah got up three hours later, heading down to the living room to check on the kids. He heard River's alarms go off as he reached the bottom of the steps, smiling as she groaned in frustration.
"Turn it off and go back to sleep," he said towards the blankets. "I told the school you were both sick."
"You're the best," Stiles' voice said.
A few moments later, Noah heard a light snore coming from under the blankets and he lifted one of the side blankets. River and Stiles were both already back asleep, still wrapped around each other. For a moment, Noah wondered if he should be worried about how close the two teens were and how often they slept together. He shook his head, knowing that if either of them began gaining feelings for each other they would awkwardly come to him about it.
He headed back upstairs, determined to get a few more hours of sleep before he had to go back into the station. He had a headache from dealing with Mr. Lahey until Jackson's father had appeared, ready to defend both kids if Mr. Lahey decided to press charges against the kids for breaking and entering and destruction of property. Mr. Lahey had left pretty quickly after Mr. Whittemore had shown up. Noah had thanked him and the other man had waved him off, telling him the kids had been doing a good thing and it was nothing.
Stiles woke a few hours to the smell of coffee. He blinked his eyes open, staring at the top of River's head. He smiled as he looked to her sleeping face before kissing the top of her head and unwrapping himself from her arms. He crawled out of the fort and met his dad in the kitchen, making grabby hands towards the coffee cup that Noah held up for him. Once Stiles was seated at the table, Noah cleared his throat and sat across from him.
"What's up, pops?" Stiles asked, sipping his coffee.
"Do I need to be worried about anything with River?" his dad asked.
"Like, if she's going to punch Isaac? I think we're safe on that one," Stiles shrugged. "I might still punch him."
"I mean with you and her," his dad said. "Foster kids aren't supposed to date their foster siblings."
Stiles started choking on his coffee and his dad leaned forward, slapping him on the back. Once he was able to breath again, he looked to his dad.
"It's not like that," Stiles said. "I know River is amazing and funny and smart and beautiful and…"
Stiles trailed off and Noah cleared his throat, eyebrows raised.
"Sorry," Stiles shook his head to clear it. "It's not like that."
"You sure? Because that wasn't very convincing."
"I never really thought about her like that," Stiles said, sipping his coffee.
"Sorry to have brought it to your attention," his dad sighed, rubbing his eyes with his hand.
"Well, I'm going to forget that I ever thought about her like that before she smoothers me with a pillow," Stiles stated, chugging the last of his coffee. "Are you heading to work?"
"Was about to walk out the door when you got up," Noah nodded. "Don't stay up all night. You're both going to school tomorrow."
"Yes, sir," Stiles nodded. "I'll wake her up soon."
"I won't be home until late and then I go back in pretty quick."
"We'll try not to make a bunch of noise while you get some rest," Stiles promised. "Do you want me to bring you some food later?"
"Real food?" Noah asked hopefully.
"Did you expect imaginary like in Peter Pan?" he questioned.
Noah rolled his eyes, grumbling about nosy sons before heading out the door. Stiles moved around the kitchen like normal, trying to not drop anything or make too much noise as he made French toast. River came into the kitchen just as he was finishing breakfast, drawn in by the smell. Stiles handed her a cup of tea before shooing her to the table. He put a few pieces of French toast on two plates and grabbed the good syrup from the fridge before sitting down with her. They ate in silence as they both tried waking up, the sound of forks on plates and morning mugs being set back onto the table being the only sounds that came from the house.
"So, what are we doing today?" River finally asked as she took their empty plates to the sink.
"We can finish the movies if you want," Stiles offered, stretching in his chair.
"Nah. We get to play hooky from school. We should do something worthy of that," River joked.
"I'm sure no one would notice the kids of the Sheriff running around town committing crimes," Stiles joked.
"I think we'd be in the clear as long as we made it past Mrs. Anderson," River said seriously as she hand-washed the breakfast dishes, smirking at the mess that Stiles had somehow made in such a short amount of time.
"You're actually probably right," Stiles chuckled. "She's the only reason we got caught last time that we tried to skip."
"That's because Roscoe decided to act up," River mumbled.
"What was that?" Stiles asked.
"Nothing!" River smiled.
She heard Stiles moving and turned, seeing him walk over to her, looking into the sink.
"What?" she asked.
Stiles reached into the sink, grabbing a handful of bubbles and throwing them at her.
"Oh, you're dead," River gasped, grabbing the hose and spraying him with water.
"No!" Stiles yelled, reaching for the hose.
They fought over it for a few minutes before Stiles slipped in water, taking River down with him. He turned as they fell and River's hand went behind his head. She landed on top of him and gasped in pain as her hand got slammed between the ground and his head.
"Shit," Stiles breathed, sitting up. "Let me see."
River held her hand out and Stiles took it gently, prodding at her fingers. River gasped and snatched her hand back.
"I think something got broken," Stiles sighed.
"Great. Left home alone for five minutes and one of us is already injured," River joked through the pain.
"Let's go see Melissa," Stiles sighed, standing and offering his hand.
River took his hand with her uninjured one, letting him lift her. He turned off the water and led her towards the door.
"I want to change first," River stated, looking down at her clothes from the night before.
"We're going to the hospital. I doubt they care that you're in yesterday's clothes," Stiles said, looking at her in disbelief.
"I care," River stated, walking up the stairs. "You can change, too."
"Fine," Stiles sighed, following her up. "Let me know if you need help."
"I can dress myself," River sighed, shutting her bedroom door so she couldn't hear Stiles grumble about her being too independent.
She changed as quickly as she could with one good hand. She slid into sweatpants and one of Scott's jerseys, throwing on some socks and her sneakers before running a brush through her hair. Stiles knocked on her door just as she was finishing up.
"Come in," she called out, setting down the brush and grabbing a makeup wipe and taking it to her eyes.
Stiles walked in and fell onto her bed, letting out a sigh in the process. He looked over to her, watching as she wiped the makeup from her face.
"You looked really pretty yesterday," he said quietly.
"Thanks," River smiled. "Lydia did everything. Said I'm a good doll."
"I mean, you're pretty either way," Stiles shrugged, blushing and looking up at the ceiling so he wouldn't make eye contact with her.
"Thank you," River smiled, refusing to look in Stiles direction as she blushed.
She told Stiles she was ready a few moments later, dirty clothes in her hamper and makeup completely removed. They headed back down the stairs, Stiles running into the kitchen and passing an ice pack over before they headed out the door.
"What are you two doing home from school today?" Mrs. Anderson's voice called out just as they reached the Jeep.
"We weren't feeling well," Stiles called back before they climbed into the Jeep.
Once they were down the road, they both started laughing. Stiles passed his phone over to River.
"Text dad and tell him what happened," he told her.
"Before Mrs. Anderson starts calling the station," River joked, unlocking Stiles' phone and going to his messages.
After texting Noah, River set Stiles' phone in its normal spot and checked out her hand. The swelling had gone down quite a bit but was still present. There was bruising around two of her fingers that made Rive winch before she covered her hand with the ice pack again. Once they reached the hospital, they went to the front, where River greeted Mary at the front.
"What happened now?" Mary asked when she saw the two of them.
"I hurt my hand," River admitted, showing her the ice pack covered hand.
"I'll call Melissa," Mary sighed. "Go sit."
Melissa came over to them a few minutes later, concern and exhaustion clear on her face. They followed her to a room and Melissa moved the ice pack.
"Looks like it hurts," she said. "You might need X-Rays."
River groaned as Stiles laughed at her reaction.
"I would hit you for laughing at me if you were on my other side," she told him as Melissa left to get a doctor.
"That's why I sat over her," Stiles smiled.
River rolled her eyes as Dr. Jules came into the room, a soft smile on her face. She checked over River's hand, ordering an X-Ray. After the X-Ray, Stiles began going through all of the drawers and cabinets in the room.
"What are you doing?" River asked as he pulled a glove free from the box on the wall.
"Shh," Stiles smirked before blowing the glove up like a balloon.
After tying it off, he grabbed a sharpie from his pocket, drawing a face on the balloon before showing it to her.
"You're a dork," she smiled fondly. "Why do you carry a sharpie around?"
Stiles just shrugged, starting to play with the balloon, hitting it this way and that, trying to keep it from hitting the ground. He hit it to far, falling over while trying to catch it when Dr. Jules came back in. She stared down at him, smirk in place before stepping over him and walking towards River. River held in a laugh as Stiles stood back up, brushing off his clothes as if he had gathered dust somehow from the fall.
"It looks like you fractured two of your fingers," Dr. Jules explained. "Good news, it doesn't take long to heal. Bad news is you'll have to have both fingers wrapped up for a month."
"No," River groaned.
"Could be worse," Stiles shrugged. "You could have broken your entire hand."
"Remind me to let you hit your head next time," River sighed as Dr. Jules sent Melissa in to wrap River up.
"But then I would end up with no memories like you," Stiles joked, mock offended.
"Nah. We wouldn't be able to get rid of you that easily," River joked as Melissa came in.
"Rude!" Stiles yelled as Melissa rolled her eyes.
River smirked as Melissa got started, holding still and trying not to flinch as she wrapped her injury. Stiles came to her good side, taking her hand and letting her squeeze his hand. Once Melissa was done, she told them to pick up some Tylenol on the way home.
"We have some," River sighed. "We all get injured too often to not have pain meds on hand."
"True," Melissa sighed. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," River lied.
"You sure?" she asked. "You don't have to come in today if you don't want to."
"I think I need to cut down to two days with school," River admitted.
"We can do that," Melissa nodded. "How about Mondays and Thursdays?"
"Okay," River smiled, knowing Melissa only gave her those days because they were the days she read to Peter.
"Okay. Skip today though. Go do something rebellious and stupid."
"Already did," River said, holding up her hand.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Melissa rolled her eyes, leading the two teens out of the room and towards the front entrance.
"Do they tell you every time one of us gets hurt?" Stiles asked curiously. "I heard the nurse at the front say something about two out of three of us being here."
"They always tell me when one of my kids are here," Melissa said without blinking.
River and Stiles both smiled at the thought as Melissa hugged them both and sent them on their way. River sighed as she climbed into the Jeep, Stiles beside her.
"What now?" River asked as Stiles checked his phone, responding to Noah before turning to River.
"Well, we're already out and about. What if we just drive around?"
"I'm cool with that," River nodded.
They drove around Beacon Hills for an hour before they parked at the abandoned railway depot. Stiles parked, grabbing his speaker and connecting it to his phone. He played a slow song and River jumped out of the Jeep, Stiles following behind with a smile. He pulled her close, slowly dancing with her to the song. River rested her head against his shoulder, smiling as they swayed.
"Do you think we're boring?" Stiles asked as the song changed to another slow one.
"No," River shook her head. "I think we're comfortable."
"Jackson called me boring yesterday," he admitted.
"Isaac calls me boring all the time," River stated before feeling sadness creep into her heart.
"Well, Isaac is an ass," Stiles whispered to her.
"We aren't boring," River defended them. "We explore the woods for fun, hang out outside of abandoned buildings, and go looking for dead bodies in the dead of night."
"True," Stiles snorted. "Everyone else is boring."
"Everyone except Scott, who has superpowers," River joked.
"Those are gone," Stiles lied, wanting to keep River out of it if Scott really was a werewolf.
"Wait, really?" she asked, standing straight and looking into Stiles' eyes.
"Yeah," Stiles shrugged. "He had an infection. All clear now."
"That's weird," River said, her eyebrows furrowing together.
"Yeah," Stiles shrugged. "He's okay though."
"Good," River nodded, leaning against Stiles again.
They swayed for a while, getting through a few songs before Stiles pulled them back to the Jeep. Once they were tucked back into Roscoe, they headed towards the diner in town. They sat in their normal booth, ordering fries and milkshakes. After they finished eating, they ordered something for Noah. They took Noah's food to his at the station, Stiles smiling evilly when Noah asked if it was real food or not. Noah sighed, taking the healthy burger from the bag and setting it on his desk. River stealthily passed Noah a bag with fries when Stiles turned to leave.
"You're my favorite," Noah whispered to her.
"I know," she whispered back before following Stiles outside to the Jeep.
They reached the house, rolling their eyes as Mrs. Anderson stared at them, phone to her ear. River made sure to wave with her injured hand as they passed her, causing Mrs. Anderson's eyes to go wide and an embarrassed blush to creep into her cheeks. Stiles and River both laughed once the front door was closed.
River went to the living room, climbing into the fort with Stiles right behind her. They started on the rest of the movies, River finally checking her phone to see multiple messages waiting for her. She had two messages from Lydia and Jackson each, along with four from Scott, all telling her that he hoped she was okay and that he was getting hers and Stiles' assignments. She opened Lydia's messages, smiling as Lydia asked where she was followed by saying she would take notes for her. Jackson simply told her Lydia was complaining about her absence and that she better be okay so that he didn't have to listen to it for much longer.
The messages from Boyd and Erica caused her smile to falter and a single tear to roll down her cheek. Stiles looked over, saw the tear and grabbed her phone, reading the messages from the two of them.
"What the hell?" Stiles whispered to himself.
"It's fine," she whispered. "I get it."
"Well, I don't," he said. "Because of Isaac, they can't be your friends anymore? You're the reason any of them even know each other. All three were loners before you came around."
"Stiles," River said, taking her phone back so he would stop angrily typing back to them. "It's fine. I have you."
"Still," Stiles frowned. "It's not fair."
"Life isn't fair," she shrugged. "I have you and Scott and Lyds. I don't need them."
Stiles looked like he was going to argue, but River just looked down at her phone, erasing what he had typed so that she could respond. She told them it was fine and she understood, even though she didn't, and reminded them that she loved them and that if they needed anything, they knew where to find her. Stiles read the messages over her shoulder, frowning, but saying nothing. They both turned back to the tv, eyes on the tv, but not really paying any attention to it.
Stiles pulled out his phone, sending a message to Scott before looking into werewolves again. As the movie ended, River changed it out, starting the next one before she laid down, head in Stiles' lap. Stiles ran his fingers through her hair, soothing her and causing her to fall asleep.
Scott walked into the house as soon as he could, having to wait until after lacrosse practice to get there. He was smiling widely when he crawled into the fort, waking River in the process.
"I made first line," he announced.
"That's awesome Scotty!" River yelled, throwing herself at him and hugging his neck.
Scott hugged her back, his smile reaching ear-to-ear. Stiles smiled, congratulating him as worry worked through his body. He wondered if he could snag a few of River's anxiety meds later to work on it. They all laid in the fort in their normal spots, talking back and forth excitedly before they all fell asleep. Noah came home late at night, smiling at the sight of all three kids wrapped around each other in the fort. He was able to sneak a bag of gummies before heading upstairs.