𝗧𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗬𝗢𝗨 ── 𝘚.𝘚𝘛𝘐𝘓𝘐𝘕𝘚𝘒𝘐

♡ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗥𝗧𝗬-𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗘 ♡

She felt the door open behind her and slipping through the cracks, with a hint of a smile on his face, was Stiles Stilinski. "Could've forewarned me before you leave me alone with your boy-eating Mom." He took a step inside her room and noticed her dreary attitude.

He took step closer and softly furrowed his eyebrows. It felt like a stupid question to ask, but one that needed to be said anyway. "Are you okay?"

Fuck that.

And fuck her mother.

Even hearing the simple callous question leave the boy's lips reminded her of something she somehow failed to realise. While she was so pent up about being perfect, Stiles was there regardless.

Even with all her flaws. Even when it came to times where the most logical thing to do was run - somehow, she made the Stilinski boy stay. She was his first choice and first thought every time.

Dallas didn't need validation from Stiles to feel worth something. She didn't need validation from anyone, to be quite honest. Yet, she couldn't deny that having someone repeatedly break down the walls she built around herself, no matter how exhausting they were, made her heart soften a little.

She chewed her lower lip and took a sharp breath. "Honest question, Stilinski, do I scare you?" Dallas deflected the question.

Stiles eyed her for a moment before pushing past her lightly. "No."

"No?"

"No." He repeated, turning to her board of Polaroids.

Dallas folded her arms around herself and quipped a brow. He was scared of pretty much everything else in Beacon Hills, so why not her? After all, she was definitely one of the biggest sharks in the small pond that was their town. "Why?"

Stiles remained quiet for a moment, noticing how the photo of her and Louis Morelli that hung on her wall weeks before was now missing. What he didn't know was how it now lay at the bottom of her trash can in tiny shredded pieces. "Cause you're not afraid of me." The human glanced at her furrowed expression and felt a smile tug at his lips. "Not like you were with Void. You could always tell the difference.. always pulling me away from the bad parts of myself."

She ran a hand over her face and avoided his look. "Yeah, cause it wasn't you-"

"I know." Stiles paused. "But he had my face. He had my thoughts and memories and taunted you with it. People look at me now and they don't think I notice the scared flash in their eyes. How nervous they are to be alone with me." The human scratched the back of his neck as he noticed the silence that came from downstairs, noting her parents were probably listening. "You don't have that look. Not once."

The honesty felt like a harsh jab to the chest that winded her and took her breath away. She swallowed hard and sat on the edge of her bed while Stiles sat beside her. "I'm scared of you in volleyball, though. You have a mean throw." He nudged her with his shoulder as a soft laugh left her mouth.

"I mean, I love you and all, but im starting to think you enjoy throwing things at people-"

"What?"

Shit.

Stiles stammered over his sentences. Oh no. Oh god no. Sure, he had told her he was in love with her in the spur of the moment, but they had never actually discussed it since.

"Did I fuck up?"

⊱ ──────ஓ๑♡๑ஓ ────── ⊰

Downstairs, Jim stared directly at Marilyn Garcia sat meekly on the edge of the unfamiliar sofa. "Why are you here?"

"I missed her." Marilyn swallowed harshly. "I missed you. I missed my life."

"Seven years you've been gone, Marilyn!" James slammed his hands against the marbled countertops. "And for the last year, we've been mourning someone who isn't even dead. And you want to come in here, look my daughter in the eyes and say Hello as if nothing ever happened?"

Marilyn glanced up at her husband with a hurt expression. "She's my daughter too-"

"No." he cut her off. "No, she's not. Not after this. The Argents have been gone long enough for you to come back to Beacon Hills. You chose to stay away. What happened to being gone for a couple of weeks, Marie? What happened to throwing off the scent?"

"I panicked!" The older Siren snapped. "I was going to come back. But everywhere I looked, Kate was there. She hunted me down from state to state. Coming back would've just put you both in danger. At least then Dallas would be able to live a normal life." she frowned.

"And what about me? You left me to raise our daughter alone and better yet, left a goddamn werewolf as her godfather!"

Marilyn stood up and cocked a brow. "Derek used to babysit Dallie all the time, James, he's not just some werewolf. I know him and I know her. I only have this family's best interest in mind. You know that."

James dropped his head down and laughed bitterly. "She's working towards law school, you know? She packed up her skating and became a cheerleader to thicken out her qualifications. Wants to be an attorney like her dad." he mused proudly. "You don't know her."

The woman fiddled with her engagement ring and sighed. "Maybe not. But I want to."

The lawyer remained silent for a few moments before glancing up, hunched over his countertops with a lump in his throat. "Why didn't you tell me you were alive?"

She gave him a sympathetic look. "I knew you'd come looking for me sooner or later. I didn't want her to have reason to hurt you. Besides, Kate would stop looking too if she thought I was dead." Marilyn paused. "Now, I just have to find a way to explain all this to Dallas. My sister's made the decision for me to become.. this." the Siren glanced at her hands. "But I don't want that. I wanted her to have the choice. To have her best chance at a normal life."

James felt the guilt seep into his gut as his fists clenched. "She did. For a good sixteen years," he noted how her face fell. "And then on her prom night, your pal Peter Hale tore out her throat and left her there to die." he spat.

Marilyn's eyes grew white and she shook silently. "He did what?

☆ word count: 1,603. ☆

a/n:  short chapter but jfc did alot happen