(A/N: Very late, but merry Xmas, Brentinator! TS references)

3rd person pov

The whole McCall pack was shattered. They had just barely survived the quarantine from the virus that was let out at school, Stiles had been held at gun point and saved by Agent McCall in the nick of time... But their packmate had been almost begging for his would-be fate. He had seemed more than accepting. And that was why the others in the pack were heartbroken. They knew Stiles still carried an insurmountable amount of guilt from that terrible winter they had managed to escape from, but not all of them unscathed, and of the survivors, Stiles was by far the one left in the worst shape. Scott, Lydia,Malia and Liam had been worrying about him ever since. They had asked more than once that the flannel-wearing sleuth share more of how he was doing and feeling, but he never wanted to burden anyone, and old habits die screaming.

The teens sans Stiles were gathered together before heading to visit him, but even the resident genius amongst them was baffled

"How do we get him to open up? We can't push him, but he cannot keep this all alone."

Blunt as always, even though she's working on it, the former coyote sighed

"He's been through a lot of traumatic stuff. When I went though trauma, I lived as a full blown coyote for 8 years."

Sighing, Liam spoke, hand on Malia's arm

"So sorry, but that's not too helpful right now, Malia."

She sighed

"At least he can't cut us and civilization off for 8 years. Scott? Any idea on how to broach the subject of opening up and not locking us out?"

Scott sighed

"Kind of. He's gonna have to go through darkness again. Something that was pretty intense the last time. But at least he's himself this time. We gotta be there for him, a safe space for him to let his walls fall down. He feels like he deserved what almost happened, and he only feels like that because of what happened last winter. We just gotta convince him to let go of the grudge he's holding against himself."

Suddenly, the monsters they had faced off together seemed like a piece of cake compared to what they were going to have to ask of their best friend. But he needed to start to get better, to forgive himself. He had been acting as if forgiving himself had never been an option to begin with. With a final sigh and a shared hopeful yet weary look, the majority of the McCall pack entered the Stilinski residence and walked the stairs leading up to the room of one Stiles Stilinski.

They knocked, but opened the door upon receiving no reply. His back to the wall and a blank space where his once warm eyes were, the sarcastic teen spoke

"You think I should forgive myself."

It was a statement, not a question, and Liam tried to get a laugh out of the teen

"What, you have wolf hearing now?"

Stiles shrugged

"No. Just know you guys all too well."

They took their spaces around his room and next to him on the bed, those going to Scott and went first

"What happened last winter, that was not on you, Stiles. You're smart. Incredibly smart. Do you think we would be better off without you? Really and truly?"

He shrugged

"Never take advice from someone's who falling apart."

He was falling apart, but stonewalling us all the while. He was quoting his favorite lyricist and singer, saving his thought out original words for self-loathing and self-critiquing only. He spoke again

"You'd be better off without me."

We all spoke as one

"Absolutely not."

Malia spoke

"That is so far from the truth it is not even funny. This was not your fault. Me passing math, that's your fault."

Scott took over

"You were not in control. At the motel, when I wanted to start the fire, I wasn't in control, and you still said you'd go down with me. So right now, we're all here with you. Let us help you be put back together. We're pack. Family. Richer, poorer, happy, sad, healthy, not so healthy, good, bad..."

Surprising all of us, Sti let out a snort-like laugh

"Are we a pack or getting married?"

Malia spoke next, head on his shoulder

"Hopefully you and I will fit both categories."

Lydia spoke up

"But all of us in this room? We're a pack. Family. Forever. You're stuck with us. And none of us are going anywhere."

It would still be a road to recovery as far as far as Stiles' mental well-being and him forgiving himself, but he would cross that finishing line eventually, with his chosen family walking right alongside him.