✯ACT ONE--PART TWO✯
Ashton flipped the knife in his hand, feeling the handle balance in the palm of his hand.
"Remember, get in and then get out." Chris reminded, looking to the three other hunters around the room, each holding a different type of knife or gun.
"Who we goin' after?" Another hunter asked, Ashton could never remember his name though, mainly because he was new and reckless. Meaning he wouldn't last for long, just like the others who shared his unsatisfactory traits.
"A young adult, he's a werewolf. One of the calaveras saw him attacking some teens in Mexico. He tried to flee here, but his injuries landed him in the hospital. Where we'll take care of him." Argent explained, loading his .45 in a quick trained motion before sliding it into his waistband.
"Now, I'll find the guy, it'll be quick and easy. You need to keep the room unoccupied."
The same hunter, the new one, pointed his knife towards Ashton, his eyes curious and almost, mocking.
"And him?"
"Extra set of hands, if it's necessary." Ashton informed, winking to the hunter. "And I suggest pointing the knife elsewhere, before my father decides to waste a bullet on you."
The hunter let out a scoff, shaking his head as he returned the knife to his belt. He quickly corrected himself, however, when Chris did in fact flash his loaded gun to the hunter in warning.
"Now, we ready?"
✿
Ashton sighed as he sat in the waiting room, phone in pocket, just in case the emergency text came in.
Ashton turned as he saw the door open, in walking Jackson and a taller dark haired male, both wearing the lacrosse jerseys.
"Danny, seriously, I'm fine." Jackson complained as Danny sat him down, giving him the universal 'we both know that's a lie look.'
Danny sighed, shaking his head.
"Don't matter, dude. Coach wants someone with you a-"
"I'll stay."
Both boys, Jackson and Danny, turned their heads to Ashton, who was only a seat away from them.
"And who might you be, exactly?" Danny mused, a hint of friendliness, but mainly interest, seeping into his tone.
"Ashton Argent." Ashton introduced, nodding to the raven haired guy as Jacket let out a breath.
"See? He'll be here. Just go. Before Lydia has a meltdown." Jackson said, catching Danny's attention again.
Danny, after a few minutes and many many words of pleading from Jackson, left the hospital. Reminding the two to call if needed.
Jackson looked towards Ashton as the two sat, now, alone in the waiting room. "Why are you here anyways?"
Ashton frisked his brain for a response. He knew Jackson was Lydia's boyfriend, he knew Lydia was Allison's new-found bestfriend, which meant whatever he told him would get passed to his sister.
"My dad had to meet here for work, one of his clients had an appointment today so it made sense."
"Uh-huh." Jackson replied, one of his elbows moving to rest on the arm of the chair, his hand pressing against his shoulder as he narrowed his eyes at the Argent. "And why did you come?"
"Boredom?" Ashton shrugged, crossing his arms. "Allison is doing some shopping shit with our mom, and I had nothing better to do."
Jackson gave a humorless smile. "You could always try out for lacrosse, or cross-country. Or any sport, or club really."
"Why would I do that?"
"Get you some friends. People to hang out with." Jackson replied.
Ashton gaped, reeling back as if the sentence had physically hit him. "I have friends!"
Jackson gave an unbelieving look, his lips pursing into a thin line. "Who?"
"Allison."
"Doesn't count, she's your twin."
"I set with a kid named Boyd at lunch."
"Okay, so one friend."
Ashton rolled his eyes, clearing his throat. "Okay, Mr. Popular, how many friends do you have? And not buddies, I mean actual friends."
Jackson paused, running through the lift of people in his head. He had people he talked to everyday, but only in class or during practice. Truly, there was only two people he honestly counted himself as close too.
"Lydia and Danny."
"Lydia doesn't count, she's your girlfriend. Not the same as a friend. So, technically, you also only have one friend." Ashton retorted, using Jackson's logic against him.
Jackson rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Okay, so we're both not the best at making friends."
"Just another thing we have in common." Ashton replied, giving an amused smile the others way.
"Another?" Jackson questioned, his eyebrow twitching in confusion.
"Well," Ashton began, bringing one of his legs to rest against the back of his chair, his lower back pressing into the arm-rest, turning his body to face the other. "From what I've heard, which is a lot, you do not like McCall. Neither do I."
Jackson hummed, raising his eyebrows. "Why don't you like him?"
"He left my sister at a party that he convinced her to go, in the middle of the night." Ashton replied. "Plus, he's like a puppy. The eyes and personality, total golden retriever energy."
Jackson nodded, an exasperated sound leaving him. "At least I'm not the only one who doesn't like him."
"Yeah, why don't you like him exactly?" Ashton questioned.
"He's always been a pain, y'know. Just always around, constantly. Then he joined the team, been on the bench his entire time. But recently, he got good, and not just decent, I mean first-line good. I swear, he must be on something." Jackson explained, leaning his head back to rest against the wall.
Ashton let out a sound of agreement. "Yeah, I mean, people don't just get good at a sport overnight."
"Unless they take steroids."
Both teens said at the same time, glancing towards each other before letting out a small laugh. The sound seeming to echo around the nearly empty room.
"On a different note," Ashton said after a few moments of silence. "Why are you here?"
"Fucking McCall." Jackson muttered, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "He started acting like a maniac during practice today, rammed into me, screwed my shoulder."
"Damn." Ashton muttered.
Jackson nodded before opening his mouth to continue. "So, Coach sent me here. As much as he doesn't actually give a shit, the rules make it to where I can't play until I get it checked out. And as captain, I have to so I can set the 'example.'"
Ashton blinked, no reply leaving him, resulting in a few moments of silence. "Mkay, I can see why you don't like him."
"Whittemore?" A nurse called from down the hallway, clipboard in hand.
Jackson went to stand, a small muffled hiss slipping past as his lips as he turned to grab his phone. "Thanks for sticking around."
"No problem." Ashton replied, standing as he saw his dad walk out of the stairwell exit, nodding to him in acknowledgement before walking towards him.
"Hey, Ashton."
Ashton turned as Jackson's voice echoed around the room, raising his head in confirmation to the call of attention.
"You don't just have one friend anymore." Jackson stated, giving a small amused, but friendly, smirk to the other.
Ashton chuckled, nodding to the other. "Good to know."
Jackson waved his goodbye as he followed the nurse down the hallway, Ashton waiting until he was out of sight before returning to walk towards his father.
"Who was that?" Chris asked once his son was close enough, both walking side by side towards the lobby exit.
"A friend from school." Ashton replied, sticking his hands in his jacket pockets. "How'd it go?" He asked, keeping his voice low and to a whisper.
"Easy as always. The others are wiping the footage now." Chris informed, leading his son to their car.
✿
Ashton got out of the car, leaving his father to put the car and weapons away as he walked inside the house, closing the door behind him.
"Allison, is that you?" A familiar voice called from the kitchen.
Ashton walked into the kitchen, leaning against the doorframe. "No, it's me. I thought Ally was with you?"
His mom shook her head, drying off her hands as she placed the cut vegetables into a bowl. "No, Lydia invited her over to swim. I thought she might've come back early."
Ashton hummed his reply, walking towards the fridge, opening it and getting himself a bottle of water.
"Your father told me about the hoodie he found, outside your window."
Ashton paused mid-drink at his mother's words, swallowing the small amount of water he had in his mouth before replying. "Yeah, it was stained from the dogs blood. Couldn't get it out."
Ashton turned to face his mother, immediately noting the look of disagreement and disdain she held in her eyes, as well as apprehension.
"You should be more careful, you know better. What if Allison had seen it?" Victoria questioned, setting the salt and pepper down, grabbing a spoon from the drawer before mixing the assorted vegetables.
"But she didn't. She never does. I am careful, I was gonna pick it up in the morning but Dad got rid of it that night." Ashton explained, closing the cap on his water and setting it on the counter.
"And the others?" Victoria persisted, her eyes narrowing as she looked to her son. "They're not as clueless or naive as Allison is. You know your-" Victoria paused, letting out a breath before continuing. "It has to stay a secret."
"My what, mom? Hm?" Ashton barked back, tilting his head to the side. "My abilities? My magic? The fact I'm a witch? I mean, god," Ashton scoffed, shaking his head. "You can't even bring yourself to say it."
"Enough." Victoria stated, her voice sharp and low. "You know how our family works. We never expected you to possess, these-.. abilities. It's not something any of us saw coming."
"That includes Dad, but he doesn't see me differently." Ashton retorted, not worried to maintain a 'loving mother and son relationship facade' since Allison wasn't home. "He treats me the same way he would if I wasn't a witch."
"He does not." Victoria scoffed, a dry chuckle echoing through her words. "If he had, he wouldn't have started your training so young. You would be just as oblivious as Allison."
Ashton rolled his eyes. "Either way, he doesn't treat me like a nuisance, like something he regrets. Why can't you?"
Victoria turned, her fingers, covered in oil and a variety of seasonings, pointing to him, the motion alone as sharp as daggers. "Because my son should've never been born a-"
"Alright, alright!" Chris shouted, walking into the kitchen, his eyes bouncing between the two. "That's enough, no more arguing. You have this argument over and over, it won't change. But no more, got it?"
Ashton swallowed, nodding his reply as he uncapped his water bottle, taking a slow drink. Victoria sighed, putting her hands to rest at her sides.
"I'm home!"
Allison called, walking into the kitchen, the front door closing behind her as she wrapped her arms around Chris. "What're you two doing?" Allison asked her brother and mother, chuckling as she looked between the two.
Victoria laughed, nudging Ashton with her elbow. "Your brother was helping me decide what cake to make for tonight."
"Mhm." Ashton hummed, keeping a playful facade going as he flicked the condensation from the water bottle at his mother. He swallowed his drink, recapping it and setting it back down. "I was choosing between chocolate or cherry."
Allison gasped, looking to her mother. "We have cherry?"
Victoria nodded. "I had your father pick some up yesterday."
Allison squealed, kissing her father on the cheek in thanks before moving to stand at Ashton's side. "Can we do cherry? Please?"
Victoria chuckled, nodding as she returned to preparing what would be needed for dinner. "Course. You and Ashton can make it while your father and I finish up dinner."
Chris chuckled, kissing Allison's temple and giving Ashton's shoulder a gentle squeeze before walking to stand next to his wife. "Just like old times."
✿
"No, No. Cherry cake is, in fact, better than coconut." Ashton explained walking down the hallway with Jackson by his side.
Jackson shook his head, his bag slung over his shoulder. "I'm just saying, out of all the cakes I've had, I prefer coconut."
"Have you ever even tried cherry cake?"
"Can't say that I have."
"You're joking!" Ashton exclaimed, running a hand down his face for mental strength at the new information. "That's unacceptable. You are coming over one day and having some cherry cake."
Jackson chuckled, halting in his walk as he motioned towards the end of the hallway.
Scott and Stiles, as Ashton found out, were leaning against the wall, hiding behind the corner, a group of deputies a good distance away from them engaged in a conversation.
"I bet ten bucks it's somehow their fault." Jackson sighed, shaking his head.
"Isn't it always?" Ashton joked, laughing as Jackson hit his shoulder, walking ahead of him.
"Hey, wait, I'm being serious." Ashton called after him, continuing to laugh as he walked after him. "I'm telling you, it's always the quiet ones."
Jackson laughed, muffling the sound as they walked into the classroom. "And what makes you such an expert?"
Ashton gave him a playful wink, sitting beside him as Danny walked towards them, beelining for his usual seat across from Jackson. "Wouldn't you like to know."
Danny sat down, setting his needed supplies on the desk with he dropped his bag on the floor. "Do I even want to know what I just walked into?"
Ashton shrugged, waving him off. "Let's leave it at general curiosity."
Danny hummed in reply. "Good idea."
✿
Jackson sighed as he sat on Ashton's bed, setting his legs across the others lap as he ate his first, in his life, piece of cherry cake.
Ashton chuckled, letting the other use him as a foot-rest. "So, how's it taste?"
Jackson chewed and swallowed the bite slowly, making over dramatic sounds of contemplation. "Yeah, you were right, this is better than coconut."
Ashton nodded. "Told you so."
Jackson rolled his eyes, setting the empty plate on the nightstand next to him. "So, what you do for fun? Just sit around?"
Ashton shrugged. "I mean, yeah, basically."
Jackson narrowed his eyes, gently pressing his knee against Ashton's chest. "No, you have to do something." Jackson brought his legs off of Ashtons lap, sitting at the edge of the bed. "Look, if it helps, I won't judge. Unless it's killing children."
Ashton shook his head, letting out a breath. "It's, odd."
Jackson clicked his tongue. "Odd how?"
Ashton sighed. "I'll show you. But you can't tell anyone, got it?"
Jackson nodded, quietly following the other as they walked downstairs and into the garage.
Jackson, who had earlier been given a tour, didn't so much as blink at seeing the arrey of weapons again. He did, at first, but now that Ashton had explained it, he found it to make sense.
Ashton walked towards a safe in the corner of the room. It was grey, and tall, and worn down by the looks of it. A digital keypad in the middle.
Jackson looked away as Ashton put in the code, not turning back around until he heard the safe open.
Inside was an arsenal of different knives. Hunting, Carving, Throwing. It looked never ending, and each one was different, even from where Jackson could see, it was still that noticable.
"Whoa.." Jackson whispered under his breath, stepping closer as Ashton grabbed a knife from the top shelf.
It had a deep red long handle, the material looking to be a mix of imitation leather and rubber. The knife itself was a deep matt black, the edge a lighter grey and gloss covered, contrasting well against the rest of the blade.
"It's a boot knife." Ashton explained, flipping it to be handle first before passing it to Jackson, letting him hold it and look at it in closer detail. "I made it."
Jackson looked up from where he was studying the knife, meeting Ashton's eyes with his own surprise filled ones. "You made it?"
Ashton nodded, motioning towards the safe. "I made all of them, actually." He cleared his throat, accepting the knife back from Jackson before putting it back in the safe. "You asked what I do in my spare time, and that's it. I make knives." Ashton explained, closing and relocking the safe.
Jackson hummed quietly, opening the garage door for the other before closing it behind him, following the house resident through the hallway and into the living room. "For how long?"
"Uh, I made my first one when I was seven. Since then I never stopped." Ashton shrugged, walking into the kitchen and leaning against the counter.
Jackson shrugged, crossing his arms. "Well, you seem to be good at it. Don't quote me on that, knives aren't my specialty." Jackson chuckled.
Chris walked downstairs, confusion lining his features before a sudden bulb went off. "Boys. I was just about to head out for dinner. You can come, if you want."
Jackson gave a small, polite, too polite for him, smile. "I appreciate it, Mr. Argent, but I have to get going soon."
Chris shrugged, grabbing his car keys. "I can drop you off after some food."
Ashton chuckled, poking Jackson in the shoulder, making sure it wasn't the hurt one before walking towards the door, slipping on his shoes. "He won't take no for an answer."
Chris nodded. "He's right. I'd love to hear all about how my son is during school."
Jackson laughed, walking towards the door and slipping on his shoes as Ashton grabbed his bag for him. "Oh yeah, I'll tell you all about it, Mr. Argent."
✿
"You threw a cockroach at someone?" Chris questioned, driving away from Jackson's neighborhood, Ashton seated in the passenger beside him.
"A dead cockroach." Ashton corrected, taking another drink from his milkshake.
Chris shook his head, turning onto a different road. "Unbelievable." He paused. "Was the kids reaction funny?"
"Oh, absolutely hilarious." Ashton replied back, joining in on the laughter his dad started as they drove the familiar way home.
Chris sighed, shaking his head. "You know, you totally get that from your grandma."
Ashton clicked his tongue in confusion. "Grandma Elaine?"
"No, not on my side. On your mom's." Chris clarified. "When I first met that woman, dear lord, she was the most hot-heated person in the world, and got herself into a lotta trouble too."
Ashton chuckled. "Can't imagine the person who raised mom was like that."
Chris let out a breath. "Well, she calmed down when Mom and I got married. Then, even more so when Pops passed." Chris shook his head, slowing the car by a hair, prolonging the drive. "Look, I know you and your mom have some differences, well, many differences. But she does love you."
Ashton shook his head. "She doesn't act like it. She stopped hugging me and joking around when we found out about what I am, she only does when Allison's around. She tenses and backs away whenever I move too suddenly. She's even pulled a gun on me before, Dad."
Chris sighed, fixing himself to lean further back in his seat. "She's not-"
"Scared of me? Yeah, she is."
"She's scared of what she doesn't understand." Chris insists, tapping a finger on the steering wheel. "It's how we're trained to think. It's why we hunt. Werewolves, Banshees..the world wouldn't understand it. So it falls on us."
"We never, thought, in a million years, that when we had you and your sister, that you'd end up being a part of the supernatural. I mean, we didn't even know we had supernatural relatives until we had you."
Ashton crossed his arms. "What about the beast?"
Chris shook his head. "He wasn't originally Argent blood, the only relation he has to us is through marriage. And, yes, his blood does flow through ours, but the beast was a loophole, something that wasn't supposed to exist. Anyways, look, that's not the point."
"The point is, your mother does love you, she's just..afraid of what you can do. You're powerful, always have been, even before you trained your gifts. But that also makes you dangerous. And while I've come to realize and know, that you aren't a danger to us, she hasn't. I know it's not fair to you, and I know it's exhausting to constantly put up an act around Allison, but it'll get better. With time."
Ashton sighed, turning his head towards his father. "And if that time never comes?"
Chris sighed, turning to look at Ashton. His mouth opening to reply before the car came to an abrupt half, a force colliding with the front and rocking the car.
Ashton was the first to react, pulling the emergency break before letting out a groan. "Better not be a dog again, I swear." He muttered, moving to open the door as his dad unbuckled, Allison rushing to open the door and jump down the steps.
Ashton turned as his father helped Scott turn over, seeing the teen let out a hiss as Allison ran over.
"Oh my god, you hit him with your car!" Allison gasped, running her fingers through his hair as Ashton leaned his body against the front of the car.
"He came outta nowhere, Allison." Chris explained, the beginning of his sentence slowed as his voice stuttered. Probably from both shock and confusion.
"Yeah, outta nowhere and onto the top of our car." Ashton replied, chuckling as Allison sent him a look of both annoyance and disbelief. "What? It's true."
"Sorry." Scott began after catching his breath enough to talk. "Sorry about your car, I just-" He turned his head, looking at Allison, Ashton could almost see the hearts in his eyes, "I just wanted to make sure you were coming to the game."
Allison chuckled, her normally tanned complexion cheeks having a dusty pink hue across them. "Of course I'm coming."
Ashton watched as their father looked between the two, helping him stand and brushing the leaves off the teens jacket. "We all are."
Ashton shared in the looks Scott and Allison gave the older Argent.
"I'm sorry, what?"
Chris shrugged, clearing his throat before looking between Allison and Ashton. "Well, your mom's at work, and it'll give you a chance to see Jackson again."
Ashton sighed, rolling his eyes. "Fine, but we're getting coffee on the way."
✿
Ashton hugged himself as he watched the game come to a surprising end. He noticed the way Scott was moving.
Jackson was right, he was amazing. Too amazing for someone who apparently used to be horrible not even two weeks ago.
The way he jumped, flipped, ran, even scared the other team. It was unsettling and confusing.
He let out a surprised yelp as the people around him stood, the crowd from the bleachers rushing forward, leaving Chris to trail behind them as Ashton stayed in the stands.
But from there, he had a vantage point. He could see how Scott ripped off his glove and left it forgotten behind him, how he ran like he was being hunted towards the dimly lit school, how Allison jogged after him, and Stiles.
He waited until the crowd dispersed, even his father disappearing among the spectators, before walking off the bleachers and towards the forgotten glove, the one Jackson was currently bending down to pick up.
"You were right. He is good." Ashton announced once he stood in front of the other.
"Yeah. Hey, look at this. Isn't it, weird to you?" Jackson said, moving the glove towards the light, angling it for Ashton to see the punctured hole at top of one of the fingers. "That's not normal, right?"
"No." Ashton replied, his eyes narrowing as he ran his finger over the now ruined patch of cloth. "No it's not."
Both Jackson and Ashton shared a look before looking around, their eyes stopping as they met the eyes of another person from far away. Both their breaths hitching in sync.
Jackson swallowed. "I'm gonna go, uh, turn this glove in." Jackson announced, giving a small pat to Ashton's shoulder before walking away, glancing back at Ashton and the person he didn't recognize before eventually disappearing into the school building.
Ashton narrowed his eyes at the other. "Derek Hale, in the flesh."
Derek walked forward, stopping once he was an arms length away. "An argent."
"Ashton works just fine too." Ashton replied, his eyes scanned Derek's face.
"It's a bold move to be out in the open with so many hunters around, and dangerous."
Derek hummed, his eyes raking over the others body. "You don't seem to be much of a threat."
Ashton narrowed his eyes. "Wanna find out how much of a threat I can be?"
Derek sighed, shaking his head. "I've watched you-"
"Creepy."
Derek paused, rolling his eyes before continuing. " Like I said, I've watched you, and your sister. You know who I am, what I am, but does she?"
"I don't see how that's any of your concern." Ashton replied. "She might, she might not."
"It is my concern." Derek snapped back, taking a warning step closer to the other.
Ashton tilted his head. "You seem to be handling this as if it was personal."
Ashton paused, chuckling. "Right. The beta."
Derek narrowed his eyes. "An innocent beta, he hasn't hurt anyone."
Ashton shrugged. "How would we know for sure?"
Derek scoffed. "Because your sisters still alive, your little friends are still alive. That's how."
Ashton clicked his tongue, analyzing the reply from the older, and everything he had grown to figure out. Derek being involved, bringing up Allison, bringing up Danny and Jackson, heightened speed, heightened agility, lack of control, easily triggered. It was almost so oblivious, Ashton felt he could grab the answer out of plain air.
"You just told me who the beta was."
Ashton replied, crossing his arms.
Derek tensed, his fists tightening.
"It's Scott."
✯✿✯
(4360 Words)