┌─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───┐
chapter thirty-nine!
NEITHER CAN LIVE WHILE
THE OTHER SURVIVES
└─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───┘
( insatiable, pt. i )
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
DOMINIC RUBS AT his neck uncomfortably, his fingers tracing over the claw marks rimmed in dried blood against the ridges of his spine. He's scarcely managed to sit still since the Nogitsune and Stiles had split into two beings and the former had taken Lydia. Vera knows that he could easily cry into his hand and use his healing abilities to mend the crescent-shaped wounds, but he doesn't seem able to muster up any tears.
She can't blame him. They're all in a state of shock and unease. Melissa is upstairs examining Stiles, checking his vitals to see if there's anything supernatural about them. Deaton had left to check on Aiden, Ethan, and Isaac; apparently, the Nogitsune had infected them to enhance their bloodlust, and they'd all gone after each other. It's a sick kind of distraction for what had really mattered— finding Stiles.
Vera perches on the arm of the chair that Scott sits in, her arms folded and fingers tapping restlessly against the sleeve of her sweater. It's funny how time always seems to move so slowly during moments of near-paralyzing apprehension. The clock above the television ticks each time a second passes, but Vera swears each one feels like eons.
Then a realization slams into her. In all of the chaos of the past... oh, week or so, she'd completely forgotten to tell Scott—
"I met your Good Samaritan," she blurts without thinking twice.
Her words are met with silence for a moment as both boys process her words. Dom blinks as if coming out of a daydream, but Scott's head rears back in shock.
"You — what?"
"I met your Good Samaritan," Vera repeats. She shifts a little so she's turned toward him. "The person who's been leaving notes in your locker."
"Who is it?" he asks, a flicker of excitement in his eyes.
"Well, I was talking to her, but she wouldn't tell me her name, then Sebastian Balotelli came over," Vera explains. "He called her Kai."
Scott's face remains blank as he rifles through his memories for any trace of that name.
"Kai?" Dom questions. "Around my height, black hair?" When Vera nods, he continues, "Yeah, that's Kaito McCoy. She's in our grade— we were Chem partners last year. I think she moved here in January or something. Right before we got back from winter break."
Vera blinks. Blink again as the information sinks into her. Then she stares down at Scott, her face full of incredulity. "McCoy? Scott. Your Good Samaritan has been your locker neighbor this whole time and you didn't notice?"
"I—" Scott stammers, looking lost for a moment before swallowing. He turns a bit pink under her bewildered expression. "I never saw her put a note in..."
"Didn't you try to match the scent?"
"Well, yeah, since there was a hint of perfume on it. But it just led me to that senior, Cam Vang, and she looked at me like I had two heads and told me to fuck off."
Vera doesn't know much about the girl, but it sounds like her. She's gorgeous, but notoriously unapproachable. And definitely not Kai.
"Do you know Kai?" Dom asks.
"No," Scott answers. "I mean, I don't think we've ever talked. Nor has she even looked me in the eye."
"Then why would she help you?"
Scott shrugs. "Maybe she's just nice?"
Vera recalls how Kai had looked when she'd been caught— her eyes wide, mouth agape, and expression crumpled like she'd wanted nothing more than to sink into the tile and disappear forever. She seemed sweet, but that's not a good enough reason to discover your locker neighbor's secret of being a werewolf and go to such lengths to help him with his problems. Or maybe she just didn't have anything better to do. If you aren't involved in the supernatural, Beacon Hills can be a pretty boring town.
A knock sounds at the door. Scott rises to answer it, revealing Kira's mother, Noshiko. The only way to ensure that Stiles is truly free of the Nogitsune is to put him through the same test they'd all undergone. The test of the Oni.
Vera doesn't really understand all of the history, but she does understand the gist of how Kira's mother is actually a 900-year-old kitsune who'd accidentally called the Nogitsune spirit decades ago. She controls the Oni, so they'd had to call her.
"Hello, Scott," she greets in a calm, measured tone. Her hands remain in the pockets of her leather jacket. She doesn't appear older than her mid-forties, but since Vera knows the secret of her true age, she can see centuries of wisdom behind her eyes and in the straight-backed manner she carries herself.
While Scott heads upstairs to fetch Stiles, Noshiko waits in the living room. Vera and Dom share a long look during which they have a silent conversation. It's something along the lines of, "This is awkward." "Should we say something?" "I'm not doing it." "Well, I don't want to do it, either." "Oh my God, fine."
Vera sucks in a breath before saying, "Uh, hi. I'm Vera. I'm a... friend of your daughter's. And this is Dominic."
Noshiko nods sagely, a hint of a smile quirking up her lip. "I know who you are. Kira has told me a lot about you."
A flood of warmth seeps into her chest. It's also accompanied by a bit of guilt for not spending much time with Kira— it's something she'll have to do more often.
Footsteps on the stairs signal that Scott is returning. He reaches the ground floor with Stiles and his mother in tow, Melissa wringing her hands together apprehensively and Stiles hugging close to the wall.
"Do you recognize me?" Noshiko asks him.
Stiles nods. He takes a slow step toward her, only to be interrupted by Kira bursting in through the back door and crying, "Stop!"
Noshiko holds out a finger to stop her. Kira immediately freezes in place, her fearful eyes flickering between her mom and Stiles.
"It's okay," he says. "I'm the one who asked her to come."
Vera's heart almost breaks as she moves off to the sidelines with Dom so Stiles can stand near the center of the room. Stiles's hands fidget at his sides, his bottom lip sucking into his mouth for a second. He's terrified that the spirit might still be inside him. That it might be lurking in some deep corner of his mind, waiting for the perfect moment to possess him again and make him hurt his friends.
But each nervous tick that she notices is so blatantly Stiles that she allows hope to swell in her chest. They need this one good thing. Even if the Nogitsune is still out there in some second body that looks like him, they need the real Stiles to be free of the darkness that has dwelled inside him for months.
"You're the one who's going to get stabbed with swords!" Kira exclaims. "Mom, don't do this to him."
"It's already done," Noshiko replies in a voice harder than it had been before.
The hairs on Vera's forearms rise, detecting some presence she can't see. The shadows surrounding Stiles elongate like claws that are extending out to grab them. A figure bathed in black emerges from them, its silver mask glinting in the bit of moonlight seeping in through the window. Melissa sucks in a gasp at the sight of the Oni appearing one by one until they have Stiles surrounded.
One of them reaches out to seize Stiles by the back of the neck. Vera's stomach churns as its eyes — yellow-green like a firefly's — bore into his brown ones, its head tilting as it rifles through his mind. She still remembers how that feels. To have someone else in her brain, searching through every crevice in search of an imposter.
She doesn't breathe the entire time. Her chest begins to burn, and it's taking so long — too long — that for a moment, she expects all of them to draw their swords and ram them through his abdomen. But then the Oni spirit releases him and he collapses.
Dom cracks into motion, reaching Stiles the second he hits the rug and begins to shake from the bitter cold in his bones. The Oni disintegrate back into the shadows. Their job is done.
"Look behind his ear," Noshiko orders.
Dom gingerly turns Stiles's head so he can see behind it. And there, just above a mole behind the shell of his ear, is a backward number five branded into his pale skin.
Vera feels a wave of relief slam into her so powerful it nearly knocks her from her feet. She sways, but Scott steadies her before she can fall.
"It worked," Scott says, his voice tinted with wonder.
"So, I'm actually me?" Stiles asks. He pushes himself up to his elbows, shudders still wracking through him.
Noshiko seems proud. "More you than the Nogitsune."
"Can the Oni find him?"
"Tomorrow night," she answers. "It's too close to dawn now."
Vera's stomach sinks with disappointment. Time— it's never on their side, is it?
Stiles seems to feel a similar sensation, ducking his head with a huff. "Can they kill him?"
"It depends on how strong he is."
"What about Lydia?" Scott pipes up. "Why would he take her?"
"He would only take her for an advantage."
"You mean her power?"
Noshiko nods. "The power of a Banshee."
Vera's gut churns until she feels sick to her stomach, causing her to place a hand near her belly and cringe. What advantage? A Banshee only screams when people are close to death... right? But then again, Lydia had heard the electricity humming when Barrow was in the school. What if she's helping him locate something? Or someone?
She steps out of the living room and pulls out her phone, wincing at the time. She's surprised that Mai hasn't called her 47 times and demanded to know where she was. But then again, her mother has been extremely distracted lately due to Abuela's poor health. Still, Vera decides to send her a message and explain that she's spending the night at Scott's house with Dom. There's no way that any of them are letting Stiles out of their sight.
Her phone buzzes with a message, but it's not from Mai. It's from Allison.
ALLY: Did it work?
Vera taps the text to enter their conversation and types her own reply.
VEE: yeah, stiles is actually stiles. bad news is that noshiko says the nogitsune took lydia to use her power
ALLY: At least we have one piece of good news. Try to focus on that, okay? I know how you can get lost in your head sometimes.
Vera makes a face that she wishes Allison could see.
VEE: everyone says i've been uncharacteristically pessimistic lately. but aye aye, captain. i'll do my best to look for positives
ALLY: Good. I'm going to call local towing companies tomorrow to see if any of them picked up Lydia's car. Try to get some sleep <3
Yep, that's Allison, all right— jumping straight into making plans and taking action for whatever their current crisis is, but also looking out for her friends at the same time. Vera doesn't think she'll be getting much sleep tonight, especially considering it's almost dawn already, but can't bring herself to care. She's too alive with jitters and adrenaline right now to think about slumber.
Scott drives Stiles to the Sheriff's station to see his dad. In the meantime, Dominic and Vera perfect the art of doing nothing. This early in the morning — or late at night, depending on how you look at it — there's not much they can do. Not until Lydia's car is found.
"Vera, Dominic, come in here," Mrs. McCall's voice sounds from the kitchen.
Vera shoves her phone into her pocket and pads down the hall. Melissa is setting two bowls of cereal on the island counter when she walks in, sliding a gallon of milk along with them and plopping spoons down so they clatter against the countertop. She motions for her and Dominic to sit at the two stools, which they do.
"You must be starving," she says, pouring a bit of milk into each of their bowls. "Neither of you have eaten since you got here, have you?"
As if on cue, both of their stomachs growl. All three of them manage small grins of amusement before their expressions drop again.
"I would've made you something, but we don't have much and my shift starts in a few hours, so I have to head to bed. Eat as much cereal as you want— finish every box if you need to."
Living as a single mother and working as a nurse means Melissa doesn't have much money. It's why Scott has been working with Deaton since he was fifteen; he'd wanted to ease some of his mother's financial burdens and be able to afford things for himself. As a result, their refrigerator is almost always empty or nearly so. Their pantry usually contains some store-brand snacks and cans of soup bought during a sale.
The stress from the past day had made Vera completely forget about eating. Even though her gut is still twisted with nerves, her hunger overrides the sensation, allowing her to dip her spoon into the cereal and cram bite after bite into her mouth.
"You kids... you've all been through so much." Melissa looks between Vera and Dominic with sadness lurking in her deep brown eyes. "It's a wonder you haven't broken from it all. But know that, whatever happens, you still have people who will take care of you. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to come to me."
Dominic says, his voice muffled by a mouthful of off-brand Cheerios, "Thanks, Mrs. McCall."
"Of course." The woman walks around the island and wraps Vera in a hug, pressing a motherly kiss to the top of her head before doing the same to Dominic. The action gives Vera a pang of homesickness for some reason. She hopes Mai is doing okay.
The boys return from the Sheriff's station with a lead: there's a girl with supernatural powers that they haven't spoken to yet. Her name is Meredith Walker, and Stiles had seen her in Eichen House, hearing things she shouldn't. Talking to her may be the only shot they have at finding Lydia. So, the Sheriff is heading there now to see if he can get her to speak with them.
Minutes after they come back, Stiles passes out on the sofa. It's the first time that Vera can take a good look at him since he'd been separated from the Nogitsune. She turns on a nearby lamp to allow a bit of soft light to flood the room. It lets her see the too-white pallor of his face, his skin so dull and thin that it's almost possible to see the veins beneath it. The blue and purple lines indicate a remaining life force, but there doesn't seem to be much life left in him.
Dom stands beside her, looking down at Stiles's sleeping form as well. This is normally where he'd insert some kind of joke that would make Vera want to hit him— or actually hit him. But he's silent.
"We have to find them," she whispers, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on her shoulders like the burden of the sky has been bestowed on her. "I think splitting their entities into two bodies is literally taking the life out of him."
"We will," Dom promises. "I mean, we've got a lead, right? Meredith will help."
Unless she doesn't want to talk to a bunch of random people, especially a cop, Vera thinks, but doesn't voice her thoughts aloud. Allison would argue that it's not very optimistic of her.
Instead, she tries to focus on the positive. They have Stiles back. Sheriff Stilinski is looking for Meredith at Eichen House. Deaton is helping Isaac, Aiden, and Ethan get back to normal so they don't kill each other from the Nogitsune's influence. It's not a lot, but at least it's something.
— ✯✯✯ —
Stiles wakes chaotically. It starts with a gasp, which startles Vera out of her wits where she sits anxiously on one of the armchairs flanking the sofa. Then he rises, his breaths coming out shallow and panicked, clumsily pushing himself to a sitting position.
Scott sprints into the room as soon as he hears it. He catches Stiles by the forearms and holds him upright when he stands on trembling legs, his entire body heaving with terror.
"You okay?" Scott asks.
Vera stands just as Dom enters the room, his concerned eyes locking on Stiles.
"What happened?" Stiles's gaze zips around the room at a pace that must make him dizzy. "How long was I out?"
"Just a couple of hours," Scott answers. "You should sit down."
As expected, he shakes his head in protest. "Where's my dad?"
"He's at Eichen House, questioning everyone, looking for Meredith. I promised him I wouldn't let you out of my sight."
Stiles's nervous energy causes him to wring his hands together. He fidgets, messing with each finger on his right hand, the action so characteristically Stiles that Vera doesn't mind that his restlessness is starting to make her eager to move, too. "Okay, what about the others?"
"All of them are looking for Lydia," Dom answers, stepping closer until he's standing right beside Scott. "I think Allison found her car at the impound lot near the Sheriff's station. There's gotta be some clues in there."
Exhales burst from Stiles's mouth like he just finished running a marathon. "It's starting to feel like we're waiting for a ransom call."
This is a good time for Vera to practice optimism. She says, "We'll find her, Stiles," even though her voice comes out small and not as confident as she'd intended. At least he isn't a werewolf and can't sense all of her doubts and fears.
Even so, Stiles doesn't look convinced. He hurriedly reaches behind him and grabs his jacket from its bunched-up position on the sofa. He shrugs it on like he can't move quickly enough.
"You all right?" Scott asks, his eyes traveling up and down his friend's form for any sign of harm.
"Yeah," Stiles replies. "I don't know why, I just can't seem to get warm."
"I could probably help with that," Dom offers. He wraps his arms around the taller boy, transferring his ever-present warmth. Stiles instinctively leans into the heat and shuts his eyes.
"Maybe you should sit down, take it easy." Scott reaches forward to press a hand to Stiles's, only to retract it once his veins turn an inky black. "You're in pain."
Stiles blinks his eyes open. "It's not that bad— just more like a dull ache."
Dom shoots Scott a knowing look and subtly shakes his head. Stiles is lying.
"Where?" Scott presses.
"Sort of everywhere..."
Scott places the back of his hand against Stiles's forehead, the action so much like his mother that it almost makes Vera laugh. His forehead creases as he yanks it back and shakes it off. "Dude, you're freezing."
Dominic plops onto the sofa, forcing Stiles to move along with him. Vera can still see the shudders rippling through his body as he attempts to soak up Dom's warmth. She takes in his pale complexion, the pronounced visibility of his veins, and swallows thickly. Her statement from earlier is coming true. As long as the Nogitsune is out there, Stiles's health will keep declining.
It means he's dying.
Scott crouches down to their level so Stiles has to look him in the eye. His gaze is soft yet firm, which is one of the reasons why it's impossible to keep lying to him. Doing that to Scott is like kicking a puppy.
"Tell me the truth," he says. "How much does it really hurt?"
Stiles tears his eyes away and doesn't answer. His silence is enough of an answer. Scott peers over his shoulder to share a worried look with Vera before his phone starts to ring.
"It's Kira." He accepts the call and holds the phone up to his ear, asking, "What's up?"
Whatever Kira says is enough to make Scott's expression fall. He assures her that he'll be on his way in a moment, then hangs up and cracks into motion.
"What?" Vera inquires, watching as he slips his boots onto his feet and laces them up.
"Meredith is in Coach's class."
"What?" she repeats, incredulous this time. "What's she doing in our school?"
But even as she asks, Vera feels like she might know the answer. Lydia has a habit of being exactly where she needs to be— even if she doesn't realize it. Maybe Meredith is looking for them, too.
Stiles tries to get up, but Dom's years of playing sports allow him to hold the boy firmly in place. He twists in his grip in a futile attempt at breaking free. "I'm going, too."
"No, stay here," Scott orders. "Rest. I'll go get her."
When he closes the front door behind him, the McCall house is back to being eerily quiet. Vera's gaze flickers between where the boys sit on the sofa. They hadn't had a moment alone since Stiles had returned, and she's sure they've got a lot to talk about.
"I'm gonna go upstairs," she tells them. "Scott's blankets should help warm you up, Stiles."
He nods but looks distracted like he hadn't really heard her. Vera heads upstairs and walks through the first door on her right. Scott's bedroom has the typical teenage boy mess that seems to be the standard— clutter strewn across the wooden desk shoved against the left wall and his dresser drawers half-open since they're so full of unfolded clothes. His bed is unmade, covers bunched up on the large mattress and nearly falling onto the floor.
She almost trips over his lacrosse gear as she heads toward his bed. Leave it to Scott to not put away the equipment for a sport that had ended in early March. It will probably stay there until tryouts in January— she'd even bet that his jersey won't be washed unless his mom does it for him.
For an Alpha, he is pretty helpless.
But there are some things Vera notices among the chaos that make her smile. There's a framed photo of them, Dom, and Stiles from the summer. They'd gone on a road trip in Stiles's Jeep, which was a bad idea because it had broken down on the side of an empty road. Dom had been behind the camera, aiming it at their predicament with his hand at the right edge, doing a thumbs-down. Stiles has a flashlight in his mouth and a wrench in his hand as he inspects under the Jeep's hood, either oblivious to the photo or pointedly ignoring that it's taking place. Vera sits crossed-legged on top of the vehicle, doing peace signs with both hands while she sticks her tongue out. And Scott is pulling an "Uh-oh" face and pointing to the engine.
That was before she'd known about the Alpha pack on their way to Beacon Hills. When her biggest problems were mastering her new powers and finding Erica and Boyd. She'd had no idea what had been lurking right around the corner at the end of the summer.
Vera finally looks away from the picture, biting back a smile. Her heart is warm with the knowledge that Scott had framed that photo. It's things like this that help her keep going— little reminders that she has so many people who love her.
She grabs Scott's plaid comforter and bundles it up into a ball in her arms. As she blindly walks out of the room, treading carefully to avoid tripping over miscellaneous items littering the hardwood floor, she inhales to make sure they don't smell. Luckily, all she can detect is the scent of boy.
Her footsteps are silent on the stairs when she heads back down to the first level. Vera feels around with one arm before dumping the thick blanket onto what she thinks is an armchair, sighing when she can finally see what's in front of her.
Díos. Holy shit. Holy shit. Her brain can think of nothing but jumbled swears and screaming noises when she registers that she'd accidentally walked in on a makeout session. Dom has his hands buried in Stiles's raven hair, his fingers wound around the dark strands. Stiles's touch drifts from the strings of Dom's hoodie to his jaw. And yeah, judging by this scene, they hadn't done much talking the entire time Vera had been gone.
"Oh God," she blurts out, causing both boys to jump and pull back from each other. Stiles whirls around to face her with ruby-tinted cheeks. Well, at least he has some color back in his face. "It's about fucking time! Holy shit. I shouldn't have said anything and just walked out. Continue. Bi pride. I'm gonna — I'll go now. Sorry."
Vera scurries into the McCall's kitchen, her socks sliding on the smooth floor and her brain going a million miles per hour. Once she is fully concealed by the wall separating the two rooms, she breaks out into a goofy little happy dance. A smile threatens to split her face in two as she jumps around, wishing she had someone else to share her joy with. She resorts to silently screaming by herself, resisting the urge to immediately text in the group chat that Stiles and Dominic had finally acted on their feelings.
Allison will be proud of her. At this moment, she is feeling very, very optimistic.
_______
a/n:
vera dancing in the mccall's kitchen by herself like
the fact that i'm publishing this chapter during pride month really puts the icing on the cake. your favorite bicon trio and gray ace author wish you a happy pride month! you are loved and accepted. i am proud of you for being who you are 💖💜💙 💜🖤🤍🖤💜
the fact that scott didn't realize that his LOCKER NEIGHBOR has been leaving him notes since january is so funny to me... to be fair, kai did make sure to carefully hide her identity and purposely mislead scott, but still. (and i've mentioned yet another OC who will be in the sequel!! oh yeah, it's all coming together😈)
i hope you enjoyed this chapter! as always, thank you for reading and feedback is appreciated🥰
—kristyn
( word count: 4.4k )