Stiles was sat at the dining table with his father. The sheriff had asked Stiles to sit down shortly after he came downstairs. Stiles couldn't help but feel nervous. He knew what his father wanted to talk to him about, but he had no idea how this conversation would go.
It's been 3 weeks since the nogitsune. 3 weeks since he was separated from void. 3 weeks since Allison and Aiden died.
Stiles can't help but feel guilty about their deaths. He knows logically that he isn't responsible but that doesn't change the way he feels. It also doesn't help that some part of him doesn't feel bad about their deaths.
Allison kidnapped Erica and Boyd leading to their deaths and she turned a blind eye to Gerard kidnapping Stiles and beating him in the basement.
Aiden was working with the alpha pack. He helped kill Boyd, he terrorised the pack and who knows how many other packs he helped Deucalion kill before they made it Beacon Hills.
Part of him was happy they had died and couldn't hurt anyone else he cared about and that...that made him feel awful.
It didn't help that Scott couldn't look him in the eye or that Lydia looked like she wanted to throw up anytime she encountered Stiles.
It's been 2 weeks since Stiles found out that he, himself had become a kitsune. Since he found out he was a nogitsune. 2 weeks since he has spoken to anyone in the pack.
Stiles had been feeling unwell since the nogitsune possessed him. It could have something to do with the lack of eating and sleeping but Stiles' father was worried and despite Stiles vehement disagreements, his father had taken him down to Deaton's for a magical check-up.
Stiles didn't trust Deaton, but Stiles' father just wanted Stiles to be okay, so he went. It was there that Stiles found out that when the nogitsune split bodies with Stiles, Stiles seemed to have entered the wrong body.
Apparently, Stiles was supposed to stay in his own body and not the one made by the nogitsune, the body that was made with magic, magic that fused with Stiles' own.
Wasn't that just a kick in the teeth, Stiles had no idea he had his own magic until that discussion.
That spark that Deaton had told Stiles about once, very briefly, yeah that was his magic. This is why Stiles didn't trust the vague bastard.
Anyway, after Deaton told Stiles that the nogitsunes magic had fused with his own to make him a kitsune Stiles didn't believe him. That was how they ended up in Kira's house talking with Noshiko about whether it was possible to become a nogitsune.
Noshiko agreed with Deaton, after running her own tests on Stiles, that he was a dark kitsune. She tried to explain to him that, that didn't make him inherently evil. Just dark. But he couldn't hear her over the sound of his blood turning cold.
He didn't even know that that had a noise.
Stiles wasn't sure how the pack found out about his change in species...probably Deaton, the sneaky bastard.
Okay so Noshiko could have told her daughter, but Stiles was sure that it was Deaton.
The pack stopped speaking to him after they found out. They say that they just needed time and space to be alone and process. Stiles tried to believe them but with the way they surrounded each other it was obvious that they really only needed space from him.
Stiles had a massive panic attack when he got home from school that day.
It's been 1 week since Stiles had left the house, 1 week since he went to school and 1 week since he saw anyone in the pack.
Stiles had been trying to get through school. Ignoring the looks and the whispers about him going to Eichen House, ignoring the feeling of watching the pack huddle together, ignoring the way any time he would walk near them that would always find away to get away from him and ignoring the way they never let anyone be in a room alone with him.
It hurt. He knew that they weren't trying to be cruel, that they just needed some time away from him. But all he needed at the moment was to be with them not watching them from a distance and feeling his heartbreak.
It was at school, when he was placing books into his locker that he heard it. A laugh. A laugh so jarringly familiar that it caused his whole body to freeze. That damn laugh.
Suddenly he wasn't in the school corridor anymore, instead he was in the Eichen House basement with that bear trap around his foot. Watching as Void taunted him...ridiculed him. Made him feel weak and worthless while he froze to death.
Suddenly Void had his hands on him, and Stiles started screaming to be let go, to get off him. Let go, Let Go, LET GO!
Then he wasn't in the basement anymore. He was in the school corridor again. Everyone was looking at him as he cried while curled up against the lockers, holding his bag against his chest, shaking.
He hadn't been back to school since.
"Stiles!" Stiles' father, the sheriff yells making Stiles eyes immediately bounce up to his fathers instead of staring holes into the dining room table.
"Yeah?" Stiles asks quietly.
"I've been calling your name for a while now." The sheriff says making Stiles feel guilty.
"Sorry. What was it you wanted to talk about?" Stiles questions.
"How are you doing son?" the sheriff asks while looking at Stiles with sympathy.
"I'm fine, I guess. Except for the nightmares and the constant feeling of loneliness." Sties admits truthfully.
He had promised his father after the alpha pack over the summer that he would never lie to his father about anything again.
"Are you sure that you don't want to talk to Deaton's sister? What is her name? Marin?" The sheriff asks.
"No." Stiles says instantaneously.
"Look kid, I know you don't trust." The sheriff starts before being cut off by Stiles.
"Your right, I don't trust them. Miss Morrell was working for the alpha pack and got a job at the school to watch over us and report back to them and then suddenly she is in Eichen House right when Malia and I get admitted? That is not a coincidence. And don't get me started about Deaton." Stiles said furious.
"Okay, well what about Noshiko, she is a Kitsune or whatever. She could help you get control of that side of you. It might bring you some peace knowing you can control it." The sheriff offers.
"She doesn't know how to help her own daughter because they are different types of kitsunes. I highly doubt she will be able to help me as well." Stiles says, shooting down his father's idea.
"Then maybe you could talk to me about your time with the nogitsune." The sheriff tries.
"Dad, I really don't want to talk about it. Like ever." Stiles says shooting down another of his fathers idea's causing the man to feel frustrated.
"Then what Stiles!" The sheriff yells before calming down and pleading, "Then what can I do to help you? Please tell me something Stiles. Anything I can do to help you, I will do. Please."
Stiles feels awful while looking at his father. The man has done so much for him, and Stiles can't help but feel guilty.
"You have been helping dad. Anytime you are around I feel safe. When you hold me as I wake up from the nightmares, I feel protected. You are doing everything that I could ask to help." Stiles says but he doesn't continue because both men know the truth. The sheriff is doing everything in his power to take care of his fucked-up son. It's just not enough.
"Then tell me what isn't helping Stiles." The sheriff says trying to come at this problem from a different angle.
"Honestly?" Stiles asks causing the man to nod. "This town, the people that are supposed to be my friends, my pack..."
"Well, I can't do anything about the pack. Bunch of ungrateful..." The sheriff trails off looking at his sons smirking face. It's been a while since he's seen that face. "But I can get you out of this town, if you think it would help."
"How? You don't have the money to support both of us if we were in different households especially not with the bills for Eichen house." Stiles points out.
"Stay out of the bills Stiles. And that is not what I meant. But first I need you to tell me. If I had a way to get you out of this town even for a short while, would it help?" the Sheriff asks.
"This place is slowly killing me dad. Every place I go has nothing but bad memories. I can't remember any of the good ones. It's like this town is slowly sucking the life out of me." Stiles admits.
The sheriff just looks at Stiles for a while before saying, "You mom had a sister. Do you remember her? You used to play mostly with your cousin whenever they would come around here."
"Um...yeah kind of. They stopped coming round after mom died. Why?" Stiles questions.
"Well, they live in Virginia which is about as far from Beacon Hills as you can get." The sheriff says.
"There is New York." Stiles points out.
"I'm not sending you to New York." The sheriff deadpans. "Anyway, I could get in touch with your aunt and see if she and her husband would be willing to take you."
"We haven't spoken to them in 8 almost nine years." Stiles says incredulous.
"It's worth a try." The sheriff points out.
"Fine. If you can get them to say yes, then I will go to Virginia. It must be better than here." Stiles says.
After Stiles says that the sheriff gets up, grabs the home phone and makes his way back to his seat at the table. He then dials a number he remembers from 8 years ago and hope to God it goes through.
"Hello?" A female voice asks from over the phone.
"Hey, am I speaking to Carol Lockwood?" The sheriff asks.
"Yes. Who is this?" Carol questions.
"It's John, John Stilinski. Claudia's husband." The sheriff says, voice dry with emotions.
"John. It's so nice to hear from you after all these years. How are you?" Carol asks.
"I'm fine Carol...um" the sheriff trails off, not knowing how to start the conversation causing Stiles to roll his eyes.
"I'm doing fine too John thanks for asking." Carols voice can be heard saying through the phone causing Stiles to snicker.
"Right. Sorry. I'm just unsure how to start this conversation." The sheriff admits.
"Well, it's usually best to start at the beginning." Carol says gently after hearing the sheriff's bone deep wariness.
"Okay...um so you know how I became the sheriff of our town?" the sheriff asks.
"Yes." Carol affirms.
"So recently a lot has happened in this little town of ours, I've been working non-stop to put the people who deserve it behind bars but unfortunately one of the local criminals took exception to the work that I'm doing and decided to take out their frustrations on my son." The sheriff says, lying on the spot making Stiles look at him impressed.
"Oh god no. How is Mischief? What happened John? Is he alright?" Carol asks getting more and more worried.
"Carol, Carol. He's fine mostly. I mean physically he is fine. But he no longer feels safe here. And I was wondering if he could go and stay with you for the rest of the school year at the very least." The sheriff says hoping that she doesn't disagree.
"That's completely understandable, of course he can come and live with us. I will get the guest bed made up immediately and I will get in touch with the school so that they know they will be having a transfer halfway through the year. But John what happened to him?" Carol asks again quietly causing both men to freeze.
"Honestly Carol, I don't know. He won't tell me. He refuses to tell anyone and right now all he really needs is people taking care of him and as much as it kills me to say it. I can't give him the care he needs."
Stiles looks at his father at this declaration.
They're both crying.
"Did you guys hear that Tyler's cousin is going to be living with him?" Caroline asks while on her double date with Matt, Elena and Stefan. The group had just been reminiscing about the time Matt and Elena got drunk and then caught by her father.
"No." Elena tells Caroline.
"How did you hear about that? I only learned about that yesterday." Matt asks his girlfriend.
"I have my ways." Caroline declares causing Stefan and Elena to laugh.
"But seriously what do you know about why he is coming here?" Caroline asks Matt.
"Not much. He's a sheriff's kid, like you and some bad stuff had been happening in their town and Ty's cousin got mixed up in it in a bad way." Matt tells the group.
"What do you mean got mixed up in?" Caroline asks.
"Yeah Matt. Does that mean he was part of something illegal? We don't need any criminal coming to Mystic falls after all the animal attacks we've been having." Elena asks.
"I don't know. I just know what Ty told me. That he doesn't feel safe is Beacon Hills anymore and needs a place to lay low and heal." Matt says admitting that he didn't know much.
"Sounds like he's a criminal." Elena declares.
"It sounds to me like he got hurt by a criminal and no longer feels safe in his own home." Stefan tells Elena.
"I agree with Stefan." Caroline says.
"Same, sorry Elena." Matt agrees.