"I gotta meet with the medical examiner to try and figure out what happened with Jackson. I got an APB out on Stiles. His keep is still out in the parking lot so that means..."
Dad trailed off. We were currently on the boy's locker room after the game. The boys had already changed back into their regular clothes at this point.
Isaac pulled me closer to his body, holding me tight. I wrapped my arms around his torso as I processed my Dad's words. Stiles being missing scared me to death.
"Hell, I don't know what that means." Dad pretty much whispered, "If he answers his phone, if he answers his emails, if any of you see him-"
"We'll call you." Isaac softly spoke.
Scott breathed out, "Look, he's probably just freaked out from all the attention or
something. We'll find him."
Dad nodded.
"I'll see you, okay?" he gave a straight mouth smile before walking away.
Coach walked up to Scott and Isaac immediately pulled me aside.
"Why don't you come back to the warehouse with me tonight?" he whispered.
I let out a shaky breath and shook my head, "I-I'm gonna go home. I wanna be there in case Stiles shows up."
He nodded, understanding my reason. Isaac pulled me into a hug and kissed the top of my head.
"Go catch up with your Dad then. He's your ride home."
I softly smiled at him before standing up on my tip toes and kissing his cheek, "I love you."
I ran out of the locker room and down the hall toward my Dad. He turned around when he heard me coming. When I reached him, I linked arms with him and left the building.
"We'll find him." Dad breathed out.
I nodded, "Scott and Isaac are on it. I'm sure they'll find him."
"You know, Isaac is a great guy. I think you did a good job picking him out, Collins." Dad softly smiled as we got in his police car.
A smile stretched across my face, "I guess I did."
Then it hit me. I had told Isaac that I loved him. I said those three powerful words and hadn't even waited for a response.
"I'm such an idiot." I mumbled.
Dad backed out of his parking spot, "What'd ya say?"
"Nothing, Dad."
•••••
I sat on my brother's bed as my Dad talked on the phone. It had to be someone at the police station.
It had been at least an hour since we left the school and we still hadn't heard anything from or on Stiles.
"Look, I'm not finding any clues here." Dad breathed out, "Listen, if he... if he shows up at the Hospital. Okay, Thanks."
I ran my fingers through my hair, "Come on, Stiles, where the hell are you."
"Right here."
Both mine and my Dad's heads snapped toward the doorway. Sure enough, Stiles was standing right there.
His body still clad in his lacrosse gear. Stiles' lip was split and one of his cheekbones was badly bruised. He looked so... weak.
"It's okay... Dad. It's okay."
Dad walked over and grabbed his face, examining the wounds.
"Who did it?" Dad asked with anger in his voice.
Stiles was quick to answer, "It's okay. It was a few kids from the other team. They were pissed about losing and I was... I was mouthing off and next thing I knew-"
"Who was it?"
"Dad, I don't know."
He was lying.
I could tell by his heart rate. He was lying and didn't want to tell Dad.
"I didn't even see them really." he reasoned.
Dad held onto Stiles' arms, "I want descriptions."
"Dad, come on, it's not even that bad."
Dad gestured with his hands, anger and some other emotion evident in his voice, "I'm calling that school. I'm calling 'em- I'm gonna personally go down there and I'm gonna pistol whip-"
"Dad!" Stiles cut him off, "I-I said it was okay."
I could hear the fear in my brother's voice. My heart was breaking more and more with every word that left his mouth.
Dad grabbed the back of Stiles' neck and pulled him into a hug. My brother wrapped his arms around our Dad, but I could see his eyes were on me.
I just stared at him. He could probably see the dried tears on my cheeks and the tears welling up in my eyes. The fear for Stiles being missing hasn't quite worn off yet.
Dad let go of Stiles and left the room, probably calling the Station and calling off all the searching for Stiles. That's when both Stiles and I ran to each other. We wrapped our arms so tightly around each other, it hurt.
It was like, if we let go, the other would just slip away and never come back.
"I can't lose you, Stiles." I mumbled into his shoulder, tears falling once again.
He squeezed me tighter, "I don't know what I'd do without you, Collins."
I pulled back and looked in my brother's eyes, tears falling from his as well.
Our arms were still connected, our hands gripping each other's forearms, "I love you, Stiles Stilinski. I'm pretty sure you're the only person on this Earth that I truly love. No, no, no. I am sure you are. I love other people, but no one can come close to my love for you. You're the one constant thing in my life and I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you. I don't even want to imagine it. Tonight gave me a glimpse of what that would be like and it was absolute hell. I felt so lost and empty and worth-"
"I love you too, Collins. I love you so unbelievably much." Stiles whispered as he brought me back into a hug, "I promise... I promise that I'll never leave you again."