Mischief in Starling [Stackson]

12 - Team Arrow

Stiles sees Jackson's number and he jumps to pick up even though he is still sobbing. 'Jax, thank god. Where were you? I was worried sick', he sniffles. 'Um, sorry. I'm not Jack', a gruff voice responds. It reminds him of Derek's, but this voice is kinder in a way. And it sounds hurt. 'Who are you?', Stiles asks. He is sure his first panic attack in Starling is right around the corner. 'I'm Green Arrow. Roy said he told you about us?' A sudden dread washes over Stiles and he fears the worst. 'Yeah, he has. Please, I just need to know if he's okay.' His sobbing becomes louder again and Stiles struggles to get air into his lungs. 'Please, try to calm down. Take deep breaths, okay. Can you do that?' Stiles nods and does what the other man told him to. After a few tries, he actually manages to slow his heart rate down again. 'I don't want to go into detail over the phone, but Roy is alive. If you give me your adress, I will send my driver to pick you up. He needs a friend right now.' 'Okay.'

Stiles doesn't know if it's the spark inside him, but he knows the man is telling the truth. Ten minutes later he is standing outside and a nice black car with a black driver pulls up. 'Mister Stilinski?', he asks. Stiles nods and slides into the back seat. The drive is quiet and Stiles' mind is coming up with a million different scenarios of what could have happened. He knows Jackson is alive, but since he didn't actually talk to him, he assumes the werewolf is unconcious. Before leaving the apartment, he grabbed everything he had that could help a wounded werewolf. Including a book of spells that Deaton gave him for his eighteenth birthday.

'I know your boss needs to keep a lot of secrets, but can I ask where exactly we're going?' The driver looks at Stiles through the mirror as if he's weighing the options. 'There's an old warehouse in the glades. That's where the team is set up. Roy trusts you, but you know Green Arrow's reputation. I don't have to tell you what happens if you reveal anything to anyone.' Stiles nods. 'I know a thing or two about keeping secrets. Some things are better left hidden from the world.' The driver tilts his head in confusion, but quickly focuses on the road again.

When they arrive at the warehouse, Stiles is lead to the basement and immediately runs to Jackson's side. The boy is laying on a metal table, hooked up to a heart monitor and some other machines. He isn't wearing a shirt, but his torso is wrapped in blood soaked bandages. 'Jax?', Stiles whispers and grabs the werewolf's hand. He lifts it up to his lips and gently presses a kiss on the bruised knuckles. 'What happened?', Stiles asks when he turns around to the team of vigilantes. He notices that none of them are wearing their masks, but right now he doesn't care that Oliver Queen is standing in front of him. He only cares about Jackson.

'We went in to break up a fight in the glades. At first it was going smoothly, but those guys, they weren't human. They healed almost instantaneously and they were strong. We should have had them pinned, but', he sighs, 'they were like Roy. He told us you know.' Stiles nods although he knows a lot more than Team Arrow does. 'I didn't see the knife until Roy was howling in pain.' Stiles flinches at how accidentally accurate the word is. 'I've never seen him like that. In a way I always saw him as invincible. But now - I have no idea why he isn't healing.' Stiles does.

'He's dying. I called you because you are the only thing he talks about recently. And I know he would want you to be here.' Stiles nods with tears in his eyes and tries to come up with a way to explain wolfsbane without giving anything away. He doesn't want to lie. 'I know you can't trust me. You have no reason to. But Roy trusts me. And I know what is happening with him. Is it okay with you if I take a look at the wound? I promise, I know what I'm doing. I've dealt with this kind of thing more than once.' Oliver seems hesitant but eventually nods.

Stiles cuts open the bandages and hisses when a rush of blood follows. 'Fuck.' And then Stiles snaps into problem solving mode. The same way he did countless times when he was still in the pack. Right now nothing matters. He waves over Oliver and instructs him to keep pressure on the cut. Then he orders the driver to retrieve the medical kit from his bag. With trained hands, Stiles gets out the wolfsbane and activates Jackson's healing process. Afterwards he wraps the wound back up just in case and checks Jackson's vitals. His heart beat is getting stronger and his skin already shows more color. With a relieved sigh, he plops down onto a chair and grabs hold of Jackson's hand again.

Everybody in the room looks at him incrediously. 'That was impressive', the blonde girl states. 'How did you know how to do that?', Thea Queen asks. 'Like I said, I've seen this before. A lot. The last few years, I have seen things most people can't even dream of. Hell, I still see it when I close my eyes. Ja- I mean Roy, he was there for some of it. I always envied him for leaving. But it seems his life here isn't exactly rainbows and unicorns either, huh?' They all nod. 'So you lived in the glades too?', Thea asks. Stiles raises an eyebrow. 'Well, Roy didn't tell us much about his past. All he said was that he grew up in the glades and he was trying so hard to stay out of the illegal gang activity.'

As much as Stiles understands that Jackson wanted to cut himself off from his old life completely, it breaks his heart that Jackson was alone with his past. 'Yeah, something like that. There was a lot of pain, a lot of fighting. And we lost more people than I would care to admit. A while ago I finally decided to get out. I was involved with the wrong people and they used me. It was starting to break me and I finally drew the line. A few days after I left, I ran into Roy again and now I can't imagine losing him. I can't stand the thought.' A few tears make their way down Stiles' cheeks and a strong hand lands on his shoulder.