Father || Teen Wolf

08 - Smells like wolf spirit

"This plan is stupid and we all know it."

There was no trace of humor in Jamie's voice as he spat out the words, grumbling under his breath with his eyebrows close together. The frown that was plastered onto his face had been there all morning and it seemed none of what his friends said made him smile - even the very best jokes Stiles thought of were powerless against Jamie's foul mood, and after a while the buzz-cut boy simply gave up on trying to brighten the mood altogether.

Standing in front of the locker room, Scott, Stiles, Lydia and Jamie were all in the very same posture without meaning to - arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed, grave airs on their faces. Stiles and Scott had rushed out of the locker room and called their friends' names, getting them to turn around just before they were out of earshot. Both Scott and Stiles were sporting their jerseys, Stiles' hanging loosely around his shoulders as he gestured wildly.

"Okay, what do we do, then? What's your plan?" Stiles challenged, unimpressed. Less than a second later, far too early for Jamie to actually speak had he anything to answer, Stiles was talking again. "Nothing? Then we go with Scott's plan."

"Sure. Have fun sniffing out everyone on the field, I guess," Jamie shrugged before turning on his heels and heading outside, Lydia following closely behind.

The strawberry-blond girl's head was shaking and her expression overcome with worry as she walked outside, and she had to take a deep breath to calm herself down. Sitting in the stands beside her, Jamie was practically radiating anxiety. Pursing her lips, she tentatively reached out her hand and gently placed it over Jamie's where it rested on top of his bouncing knee.

"Hey," she said in a soft tone, and he looked down at her hand. "I know the full moon is tonight, but we've prepared for this. We'll all be here for you, I promise. It'll be alright."

No matter how soothing and genuine-sounding her words were, Jamie's anxiety didn't vanish. In fact, it did the exact opposite, and he couldn't find the strength to look her in the eye as he spoke.

"It's not me I'm worried about," he confessed, voice barely above a whisper. Lydia had to lean in to hear his words, strands of her hair brushing against his arm. He swallowed, taking a deep inhale to gather his courage, then finally, he looked at Lydia. "What if I lose control and hurt someone? What if I hurt you?"

"You won't," Lydia replied, and although she had no proof to support her claim she still meant every word, and her voice rang with truth. The small sad smile Jamie offered in reply was almost painful to look at, and it was all she could do not to waver at the sight of it. She rested her head on Jamie's shoulder instead, soothing him just by being there, and they spoke no more of full moons or violent thoughts.

Truth to be told, both of them had lived through quite the day, although Lydia was vastly better at hiding her own sour mood. Being back at school after wandering the woods in the nude was bound to cause rumors to spread and odd looks to be cast, and while Lydia had expected the whispers and the wide eyes, expecting something and actually experiencing it are two very different things. Between that and Jamie jumping at every sound, terrified at the prospect of struggling through his first full moon, her day had been gloomy at best. It was all the more reason to focus on something else, and watching the Lacrosse practice provided her with an apt distraction.

On the field in front of her and Jamie, Lacrosse players were running, some stretching their legs and arms, some jumping in place to warm up, and then some simply talking and laughing while Coach wasn't looking. Stiles and Scott were fairly easy to spot among the small crowd, mostly because they were the only ones who seemed to pay no attention whatsoever to what they were actually supposed to be doing.