Mischief in Starling [Stackson]

14 - Jackson

Jackson sighs and Stiles squeezes his hand tight in reassurance. After a deep breath, Jackson is ready to reveal the truth. 'I was born as Jackson Whittemore. And I was born human.' The team takes a seat around the boys from Beacon Hills and Stiles scoots himself closer to Jackson in a show of support. 'I don't want to get into the circumstances right now, but a few years ago I was turned into something else. You think I'm a metahuman, but that was an easy lie. When I say I come from a different world, what I mean is, our home town is like a magnet for anything supernatural.' Oliver raises an eyebrow. 'Supernatural?' Jackson nods. 'It's exactly what it sounds like. It all started with werewolves during our sophomore year. Then we had witches, a banshee and a few other things along the way. Most of the stories you've heard are real. At least to a degree.'

Team Arrow looks at the two in disbelief. 'Werewolves? You realize we're not going to believe any of this without proof, right?', Thea asks. Jackson nods and Stiles laces his fingers with the werewolf's shaking ones. 'I'm right here, Jax. Take your time', he soothes. Jackson takes a deep breath and nods. 'I'm ready.' Then he lets his claws and fangs grow out and flashes his eyes at his team. A lot of gasps are heard around the room and Jackson presses himself against Stiles as if he wants to hide behind him. After a few minutes of silent murmurs, Felicity speaks up. 'You're a werewolf.' Jackson and Stiles nod. Then Thea turns to Stiles. 'Are you a werewolf too?' Stiles shakes his head. 'So you're human?'

Stiles and Jackson turn to each other and nod in silent agreement. 'No. I'm not human. I still don't know exactly what I am, or rather what that means. I'm a spark. To put it simply, I have magic abilities. We just don't know what they are yet. I only found out about my powers a little while ago. Jax has been helping me to figure everything out. But what's important right now is that you guys are up against a pack. The guys you fought back in the glades, they were wolves. That's how they knew how to hurt Jax. There isn't much that can cause permanent damage to werewolves. The only way a human can kill them is instant death. And the poison that almost killed Jackson.'

'What do you mean, the only way a human can kill them? What other way is there?' Stiles closes his eyes for a second. 'Magic.' Team Arrow looks at him like he is nuts. 'There are spells and potions specifically targeted at weres. Some are meant to torture, some to control and some to kill. Off the top of my head I can think of three different spells to pull out a wolf's fangs. It's apparently the most painful way of torture. Depending on the wolf's strength, fangs can grow back or they are forever disfigured. But there is no magic that can reverse the transformation. Once you go canine, you can't go back. Beating a pack ends in capture or kill. We've tried to make deals before, but rogue packs don't keep their word.'

Everyone except Jackson is stunned. 'So you could do these spells?', Diggle asks. Stiles thinks for a moment. 'I guess. Until a few weeks ago I was convinced I was human. I didn't really stop to consider it. But if I interpret what I learned right, yeah, I do have a natural talent for magic. We call it The Flame. You can imagine it like something in your blood. Virtually any spell is activated by a drop or more of your own blood. Humans can do the rituals, but without The Flame, their blood is not going to react. But magic is nothing you can measure in a beaker. It doesn't show in your DNA or under a microscope. There are hereditary qualities, but there's so many exceptions, it's not really a rule to go by.'

After a few more explanations of how the Hale pack found out about all these things, Stiles wraps his arm around Jackson's waist to hold him up and Diggle takes the two to Stiles' apartment. The spark lays Jax down onto his bed and starts to prepare a huge amount of food. After the blood loss, the werewolf needs to get his energy levels back up fast. Stiles is about to turn off the lights in the kitchen when they flicker and the bulbs explode. Stiles shields his head with his arms, but the sparks that rain down on him barely even tickle. They feel good on his skin. Like they are charging him somehow. After a few seconds Stiles notices that the sparks aren't disappearing. He carefully looks around and gasps when he sees blue bursts of energy jump off his skin.

After a particularly strong current, a yelp escapes Stiles' throat. Obviously disturbed by the noise, Jackson comes barreling into the room. He stops dead in his tracks and gapes when his eyes land on Stiles' glowing skin. 'Wow!', he breathes out. 'Jax?', Stiles whispers. The werewolf hums. 'What is happening to me?' Jackson chuckles at the beauty in front of him. 'I think you have your answer about your mother's powers. You definitely inherited them.' He doesn't stop staring. 'Sti, you are beautiful. I mean, you are always stunning, but this is breathtaking. Can I touch you?' Stiles hesitates for a moment. 'Yeah. But be careful. I really don't want to hurt you.'

Jackson's hand shakes as he extends it to touch Stiles' arm. He flinches a little at the contact but doesn't back away from the sparks. 'Do they hurt you?', Stiles asks. Jackson shakes his head. 'They sting a little bit, but it's nothing I can't handle.' Jackson moves the tips of his finger up Stiles' forearm and to his bicep, where he traces lazy shapes. He looks fascinated by the sight of Stiles, glowing and sparking. After a few minutes of admiring the magic, it finally dims and Stiles goes back to normal. 'Wow', he mutters. 'Yeah', Jackson agrees.